如履薄冰 — “As if treading on thin ice”
如履薄冰 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to act with extreme caution and vigilance, as if walking on thin ice, due to an awareness of potential danger or severe consequences; to be highly apprehensive and careful”. Literally, “As if treading on thin ice”.
如履薄冰 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 如rú
- 履lǚ
- 薄bó
- 冰bīng
如履薄冰 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 如履薄冰
Origin and Story of 如履薄冰
Empress Ma of the Eastern Han Dynasty was a woman of great kindness and profound understanding of principles. She was particularly fond of Liu Da, who was born to Consort Jia. When Liu Da ascended the throne as Emperor Zhang of Han, he honored Empress Ma as Empress Dowager.
Despite his repeated offers to bestow official titles upon her brothers, Empress Ma consistently declined.
However, her nephew Ma Yu complained about not receiving more imperial favors. Observing this, Yang Zhong advised Ma Liao (Empress Ma's brother), using the metaphor that they were "facing a deep abyss and treading on thin ice," implying that they must exercise extreme caution in their conduct and should not indulge their son's desires, lest they invite disaster.
Idioms Related to 如履薄冰
Synonyms of 如履薄冰
Antonyms of 如履薄冰
More idioms starting with 如
- rú如bù不shèng胜yī衣extremely frail and thin
- rú如qiū丘ér而zhǐ止give up easily at first difficulty
- rú如sàng丧kǎo考bǐ妣as if one's parents had just died
- rú如lín临dà大dí敌as if facing a formidable enemy
- rú如lín临shēn深gǔ谷extremely cautious as if on a cliff edge
- rú如zhī之nài奈hé何What can be done about it
- rú如rén人yǐn饮shuǐ水，，lěng冷nuǎn暖zì自zhī知only personal experience reveals true feelings
- rú如xiōng兄rú如dì弟like brothers
- rú如rù入bǎo宝shān山kōng空shǒu手huí回miss great opportunities
- rú如rù入wú无rén人zhī之dì地to move with great ease and boldness
- rú如rù入wú无rén人zhī之jìng境to advance effortlessly without resistance
Questions about 如履薄冰
- What does 如履薄冰 mean?
- 如履薄冰 (rú lǚ bó bīng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to act with extreme caution and vigilance, as if walking on thin ice, due to an awareness of potential danger or severe consequences; to be highly apprehensive and careful”.
- How do you pronounce 如履薄冰?
- 如履薄冰 is pronounced rú lǚ bó bīng in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 如履薄冰 literally mean?
- Literally, 如履薄冰 means “as if treading on thin ice”. It is used to mean “to act with extreme caution and vigilance, as if walking on thin ice, due to an awareness of potential danger or severe consequences; to be highly apprehensive and careful”.
- Where does 如履薄冰 come from?
- 如履薄冰 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 如履薄冰?
- 履：践、踩在上面。象走在薄冰上一样。比喻行事极为谨慎，存有戒心。