10 Fierce Chinese Idioms With Tiger (虎)

Borrow authority to intimidate

Literal meaning: Fox uses tiger's power

This idiom emerged from a Warring States period fable where a fox (狐) borrowed (假) the authority (威) of a tiger (虎) to intimidate other animals. The story first appeared in the Zhan Guo Ce, using the clever fox and powerful tiger to criticize political parasites who derived their influence from powe...

Fierce competition between equals

Literal meaning: Two tigers fight

The image of two (两) tigers (虎) fighting (相争) comes from ancient observations of territorial conflicts, documented in early Chinese zoological texts. The original context appears in strategic texts discussing how such conflicts inevitably result in injury to both parties. The phrase gained prominenc...

Repeated lie becomes truth

Literal meaning: Three people make tiger real

This idiom originates from the Wei state minister Pang Cong's warning to his king about how three (三) people's (人) repeated lies can make even an absurd claim - like a tiger (虎) loose in the marketplace - seem true (成). The story, recorded in Warring States texts, demonstrates how repeated rumors ca...

Unable to stop dangerous course

Literal meaning: Hard to dismount tiger

This precarious idiom describes the difficulty of dismounting (难下) once riding (骑) a tiger (虎), originating from Tang Dynasty political commentary. It illustrated how beginning dangerous enterprises creates situations where stopping becomes more perilous than continuing. The tiger metaphor perfectly...

Just so-so or passable quality

Literal meaning: Horse horse tiger tiger

This moderate assessment idiom, literally 'horse (马) horse tiger (虎) tiger,' emerged from a folk tale about a careless artist whose painting was neither clearly a horse nor a tiger. During the Qing Dynasty, it appeared in vernacular literature describing casual or imprecise work. The repeating anima...

Asking someone to sacrifice their core interests

Literal meaning: With tiger plot skin

Originating from the 'Strategies of the Warring States' around 300 BCE, the phrase describes the futility of discussing with a tiger (与虎) about acquiring its skin (谋皮). The metaphor emerged from diplomatic discourse about impossible negotiations where self-preservation inevitably overrides agreement...

Commanding imposing strategic position

Literal meaning: Tiger crouch dragon coil

Three Kingdoms period geographers first described Nanjing's terrain as having tigers crouching (虎踞) and dragons coiling (龙盘). The image combined earth's greatest predator with its supreme mythical creature to capture the city's naturally commanding position. Tang Dynasty writers expanded it to descr...

Strong start with weak finish

Literal meaning: Tiger head snake tail

Tang Dynasty literary critics gave us this image of a tiger's head (虎头) with a snake's tail (蛇尾) to describe works that begin powerfully but end weakly. Song Dynasty writers expanded it beyond literature to any project showing declining quality over time. The zoological mismatch perfectly captured t...

Add to one's strength; become even more powerful

Literal meaning: Like tiger adding wings

This idiom describes being like a tiger (如虎) that adds (添) wings (翼). A tiger is already formidable; with wings, it becomes unstoppable. The phrase describes adding capabilities to something already powerful. It appeared in texts describing reinforcements to already strong positions. Modern usage de...