握蛇骑虎 — “To be in an extremely perilous or dangerous situation”
握蛇骑虎 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be in an extremely perilous or dangerous situation”. To face a highly precarious and risky predicament. Literally, “Hold a snake and ride a tiger”.
握蛇骑虎 Pronunciation and Pinyin
握蛇骑虎 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 握蛇骑虎
Origin and Story of 握蛇骑虎
During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu of Wei passed away in his temporary palace. To prevent any instability, Pengcheng King Yuan Xie and others secretly kept his death a secret. They issued an edict summoning Emperor Shizong to meet the imperial carriage.
It wasn't until the funeral procession reached Luyang that the emperor's death was finally announced. At that time, Xianyang King Yuan Xi suspected Yuan Xie of having a conspiracy and told him, "What you are doing is extremely dangerous."
Yuan Xie, harboring resentment, retorted, "My elder brother is highly knowledgeable and advanced in years, thus he naturally discerns ease from peril; but I, Yanhe (Yuan Xie's courtesy name), am holding a snake and riding a tiger, and do not perceive the difficulty."
Idioms Related to 握蛇骑虎
More idioms starting with 握
- wò握yún云ná拿wù雾Skillfully control complex, fluid situations
- wò握yún云xié携yǔ雨intimacy between man and woman
- wò握fà发tǔ吐bǔ哺eagerly seek and attract talent
- wò握fā发tǔ吐sūn飧eagerly seek and attract talent
- wò握fā发tǔ吐cān餐eagerly welcome talented individuals
- wò握tú图lín临yǔ宇Command a vast domain
- wò握shǒu手chéng成jiāo交shake hands and close a deal
- wò握shǒu手jí极huān欢shake hands with extreme joy
- wò握shǒu手yán言huān欢shake hands and make peace
- wò握quán拳tòu透zhǎng掌clench fists in extreme indignation
- wò握quán拳tòu透zhǎo爪clench fists in extreme rage
- wò握qiàn椠huái怀qiān铅diligently engaged in scholarly writing
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Open the tool →Questions about 握蛇骑虎
What does 握蛇骑虎 mean?
握蛇骑虎 (wò shé qí hǔ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be in an extremely perilous or dangerous situation”.
How do you pronounce 握蛇骑虎?
握蛇骑虎 is pronounced wò shé qí hǔ in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 握蛇骑虎 literally mean?
Literally, 握蛇骑虎 means “Hold a snake and ride a tiger”. It is used to mean “to be in an extremely perilous or dangerous situation”.
Where does 握蛇骑虎 come from?
握蛇骑虎 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 握蛇骑虎?
比喻处境极险恶。