窃簪之臣 — “An official who steals hairpins”
窃簪之臣 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a person with a seemingly minor or unconventional skill who can resolve significant difficulties or avert danger; someone whose obscure talent proves invaluable in a crisis”. Literally, “An official who steals hairpins”.
窃簪之臣 Pronunciation and Pinyin
窃簪之臣 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 窃簪之臣
Origin and Story of 窃簪之臣
During the Spring and Autumn period, when the Qi army attacked Chu, there was a man in Chu who was skilled at petty thievery.
He successively stole items like pillows and hairpins from the Qi army's generals.
The Chu general then had these items returned one by one to the Qi army.
The Qi general was greatly astonished and feared that this thief might secretly assassinate him, so he led his troops to withdraw.
Idioms Related to 窃簪之臣
More idioms starting with 窃
- qiè窃wèi位sù素cān餐hold a position without doing work
- qiè窃shì势yōng拥quán权Usurp power and seize control
- qiè窃nòng弄wēi威quán权secretly manipulate power
- qiè窃jù据yào要jīn津craftily usurp important positions
- qiè窃shí时sì肆bào暴act unscrupulously when in power
- qiè窃yù玉tōu偷huā花to have an affair
- qiè窃yù玉tōu偷xiāng香engage in illicit romantic relationships
- qiè窃qiè窃ǒu偶yǔ语whisper secretly to each other
- qiè窃qiè窃sī私yì议whisper secretly among a few
- qiè窃qiè窃sī私yǔ语whisper to each other secretly
- qiè窃qiè窃xì细yǔ语whisper secretly
- qiè窃qiè窃xǔ诩xǔ诩secretly boast or praise oneself
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Open the tool →Questions about 窃簪之臣
What does 窃簪之臣 mean?
窃簪之臣 (qiè zān zhī chén) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a person with a seemingly minor or unconventional skill who can resolve significant difficulties or avert danger; someone whose obscure talent proves invaluable in a crisis”.
How do you pronounce 窃簪之臣?
窃簪之臣 is pronounced qiè zān zhī chén in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 窃簪之臣 literally mean?
Literally, 窃簪之臣 means “an official who steals hairpins”. It is used to mean “a person with a seemingly minor or unconventional skill who can resolve significant difficulties or avert danger; someone whose obscure talent proves invaluable in a crisis”.
Where does 窃簪之臣 come from?
窃簪之臣 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 窃簪之臣?
簪：簪子。比喻拥有一种微末技能可以排除危难的人