投鼠忌器 — “To throw at a rat, fearing to break the nearby vessels”
投鼠忌器 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to hesitate to act against a wrongdoer for fear of harming an innocent party or something else valuable; to be scrupulous about the consequences of one's actions”. Literally, “To throw at a rat, fearing to break the nearby vessels”.
投鼠忌器 Pronunciation and Pinyin
投鼠忌器 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 投鼠忌器
Origin and Story of 投鼠忌器
In the early days of the Three Kingdoms period, Emperor Xian, Prime Minister Cao Cao, and Liu Bei went on a hunting expedition. Cao Cao deliberately rode alongside the Emperor to display his military prowess.
Seeing a rabbit, the Emperor asked Liu Bei to shoot it, praising his archery skills when Liu Bei hit the target.
Later, the Emperor spotted a large deer and missed three shots, so he asked Cao Cao to shoot. Cao Cao took the Emperor's golden arrow and successfully shot the deer. The soldiers, seeing the golden arrow, mistakenly believed the Emperor had made the shot and cheered, 'Long live the Emperor!' Cao Cao proudly stood before the Emperor, accepting the accolades.
Guan Yu, unable to bear this sight, prepared to strike Cao Cao with his saber, but Liu Bei quickly signaled him to refrain from any rash action.
Afterwards, Guan Yu asked Liu Bei why he prevented him from attacking Cao Cao. Liu Bei replied, '投鼠忌器 (throw at a rat but fear damaging the vessels); the Emperor was right by his side.'
Idioms Related to 投鼠忌器
Synonyms of 投鼠忌器
Antonyms of 投鼠忌器
More idioms starting with 投
- tóu投zhī之chái豺hǔ虎throw evildoers to their doom
- tóu投jǐng井xià下shí石kick someone when they are down
- tóu投zhuàn传ér而qù去abandon official post
- tóu投qí其suǒ所hào好cater to someone's preferences
- tóu投rèn刃jiē皆xū虚handle tasks with great skill
- tóu投luǎn卵jī击shí石attempt the impossible with insufficient means
- tóu投hú壶diàn电xiào笑outwardly impressive but lacking substance
- tóu投shān山cuàn窜hǎi海Banished to remote, desolate regions
- tóu投huái怀sòng送bào抱throw oneself into someone's arms
- tóu投gē戈jiǎng讲yì艺pursue learning amidst military duties
- tóu投mù木bào报qióng琼Reciprocate kindness with something precious
- tóu投jī机zhī之huì会，，jiān间bù不róng容suì穟A fleeting, rare, and critical opportunity
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Open the tool →Questions about 投鼠忌器
What does 投鼠忌器 mean?
投鼠忌器 (tóu shǔ jì qì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to hesitate to act against a wrongdoer for fear of harming an innocent party or something else valuable; to be scrupulous about the consequences of one's actions”.
How do you pronounce 投鼠忌器?
投鼠忌器 is pronounced tóu shǔ jì qì in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 投鼠忌器 literally mean?
Literally, 投鼠忌器 means “to throw at a rat, fearing to break the nearby vessels”. It is used to mean “to hesitate to act against a wrongdoer for fear of harming an innocent party or something else valuable; to be scrupulous about the consequences of one's actions”.
Where does 投鼠忌器 come from?
投鼠忌器 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 投鼠忌器?
投：用东西去掷；忌：怕，有所顾虑。想用东西打老鼠，又怕打坏了近旁的器物。比喻做事有顾忌，不敢放手干。