Chinese Idiom Short Story - the fox borrows power from the tiger

Walt Guan -- Sat 12, 2013, 12:34 pm

                                                狐假虎威  

Hanyu Pinyin:  hú jiǎ hǔ wēi                   Figurative meaning: basking in reflected glory; bully others by flaunting one's powerful connections; take advantage of the influence of others  
 

Literal translation: the fox borrows power/prestige from the tiger; fox assuming tiger's ferocity

 

          老虎在山林里捉到了一只狐狸,要吃掉它。狐狸连忙说:“你不能吃我,我是天帝派来统治百兽的。你要吃了我

,就违抗了天帝的命令。你不信,就跟我到山林里去一趟,看百兽见了我是不是都很害怕。”老虎相信了狐狸的话,

就跟在狐狸的后面走进山林。百兽见了果然都纷纷逃命。老虎以为百兽真的害怕狐狸而不知道是害怕自己,于是就把

狐狸给放了。
  
A tiger caught a fox in a forest, and was just about to eat it, when the fox said, 'You mustn't eat me. I was sent by Heaven to rule the animals. By eating me, you will violate the command of Heaven. If you don't believe me, just follow me to see whether the animals are afraid of me.' The tiger agreed, and followed the fox as it walked around the forest. The animals all ran away on seeing them. The tiger thought they were afraid of the fox, so he let it go. He didn't realise that it was him that the beasts were really afraid of.
  

“狐假虎威”这个成语用来比喻倚仗别人的势力去欺压人或吓唬人。
 
This idiom means relying on another's power to bully or frighten others.

 

Examples:

1.
他狐假虎威欺侮人。He bullied people by flaunting his powerful connections.


2.
"狐假虎威"这个成语就是由这个故事而来,形容那些依仗别人势力欺负他人的人。
The idiom "fox assuming tiger's ferocity" comes from the story above, illustrating those who tease people by others' force.


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