脐脂自照 — “Ignite one's own navel fat to illuminate oneself”
脐脂自照 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a wicked person eventually suffers the consequences of their own evil deeds; to bring about one's own downfall. It illustrates that evil actions will inevitably lead to self-inflicted punishment or ruin”. Literally, “Ignite one's own navel fat to illuminate oneself”.
脐脂自照 Pronunciation and Pinyin
脐脂自照 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 脐脂自照
Origin and Story of 脐脂自照
During the late Eastern Han Dynasty, He Jin, the empress's brother, failed to eliminate the 'Ten Eunuchs' and was instead assassinated. Dong Zhuo seized this opportunity to enter the capital, dethroned Emperor Shao Liu Bian, and installed Liu Xie as Emperor Xian.
Dong Zhuo ruled with tyranny, indiscriminately killed innocent people, accepted bribes, and set Luoyang ablaze, causing immense suffering among the populace.
Eventually, Dong Zhuo was killed by Lu Bu, and his body was left in the wilderness. People then ignited the oil that seeped from his navel, serving as a symbolic 'self-illumination' for his wickedness.
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Open the tool →Questions about 脐脂自照
What does 脐脂自照 mean?
脐脂自照 (qí zhī zì zhào) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a wicked person eventually suffers the consequences of their own evil deeds; to bring about one's own downfall. It illustrates that evil actions will inevitably lead to self-inflicted punishment or ruin”.
How do you pronounce 脐脂自照?
脐脂自照 is pronounced qí zhī zì zhào in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 脐脂自照 literally mean?
Literally, 脐脂自照 means “Ignite one's own navel fat to illuminate oneself”. It is used to mean “a wicked person eventually suffers the consequences of their own evil deeds; to bring about one's own downfall. It illustrates that evil actions will inevitably lead to self-inflicted punishment or ruin”.
Where does 脐脂自照 come from?
脐脂自照 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to modern Chinese. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 脐脂自照?
燃起肚脐的脂肪，为自己照明。比喻坏人最终没有好下场，自作自受