首鼠两端 — “To waver between two courses of action”
首鼠两端 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to waver between two courses of action”. To be indecisive or hesitant; to vacillate and be unable to make up one's mind. Literally, “A rat's head at two ends”.
首鼠两端 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 首shǒu
- 鼠shǔ
- 两liǎng
- 端duān
首鼠两端 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 首鼠两端
Origin and Story of 首鼠两端
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, Tian Fen, the half-brother of Empress Dowager Wang, became the Prime Minister due to her influence, thus wielding great power.
Tian Fen was a despicable, insidious, arrogant, and selfish man. With the Empress Dowager as his backing and Emperor Wu still young, he acted recklessly, indulged in luxury, engaged in malpractices, and arbitrarily framed anyone he disliked.
Tian Fen demanded land from Dou Ying, who refused. He also heard that Guan Fu sided with Dou Ying, which led to animosity between them (Dou Ying and Guan Fu were both high-ranking officials who had distinguished themselves in quelling the Rebellion of the Seven States). As Guan Fu was aware of Tian Fen's corruption, Tian Fen sought to bring about the downfall of both Guan Fu and Dou Ying.
Once, at Tian Fen's wedding, Empress Dowager Wang, seeking to expand her influence, issued an imperial decree ordering all nobles, imperial family members, and high officials to attend the Prime Minister's celebration. Dou Ying and Guan Fu also went. During the banquet, Guan Fu, feeling slighted when toasting other guests, became enraged and started cursing loudly. As a result, Tian Fen had Guan Fu arrested.
The matter reached Emperor Wu, who convened his ministers to discuss it. Dou Ying adamantly opposed punishing Guan Fu, while some ministers supported the punishment. Others, intimidated by Tian Fen's power, adopted an equivocal stance. Censor Han Anguo stated, "Guan Fu rendered great service during the Rebellion of the Seven States. Although he caused trouble while drunk, it is not a capital offense. However, the Prime Minister's accusations also have some merit. I leave the final decision to Your Majesty!"
After the court session, outside the imperial palace, Tian Fen called Han Anguo to ride in his carriage and angrily questioned him, "We agreed to deal with that old bald man (Dou Ying), why were you so indecisive (首鼠两端)?"
Later, Tian Fen successfully plotted the deaths of Dou Ying and Guan Fu. Not long after, he himself died of internal terror and fright.
Idioms Related to 首鼠两端
Synonyms of 首鼠两端
Antonyms of 首鼠两端
More idioms starting with 首
- shǒu首xià下kāo尻gāo高prostrate oneself completely
- shǒu首qiū丘zhī之niàn念longing for one's native land
- shǒu首qiū丘zhī之sī思yearning for one's hometown
- shǒu首qiū丘zhī之qíng情yearn for one's hometown
- shǒu首qiū丘zhī之wàng望Longing for one's hometown or native land
- shǒu首qiū丘sù夙yuàn愿long-cherished wish to return to homeland
- shǒu首chàng倡yì义jǔ举First to initiate a righteous act
- shǒu首chàng唱yì义jǔ举first to initiate a righteous action
- shǒu首chàng唱yì义bīng兵Lead a righteous cause
- shǒu首shàn善zhī之qū区preeminent region
- shǒu首shàn善zhī之dì地foremost land of excellence
- shǒu首rú如fēi飞péng蓬disheveled hair like flying tumbleweed
Questions about 首鼠两端
- What does 首鼠两端 mean?
- 首鼠两端 (shǒu shǔ liǎng duān) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to waver between two courses of action”.
- How do you pronounce 首鼠两端?
- 首鼠两端 is pronounced shǒu shǔ liǎng duān in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 首鼠两端 literally mean?
- Literally, 首鼠两端 means “a rat's head at two ends”. It is used to mean “to waver between two courses of action”.
- Where does 首鼠两端 come from?
- 首鼠两端 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 首鼠两端?
- 首鼠：鼠性多疑，出洞时一进一退，不能自决；两端：拿不定主意。在两者之间犹豫不决右动摇不定。