犬牙交错 — “Dog's teeth interlocked/crisscrossed”
犬牙交错 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes something irregular, interlocking, or jagged like dog's teeth; also used metaphorically to describe a complex, convoluted, and intertwined situation with various conflicting elements”. Literally, “dog's teeth interlocked/crisscrossed”.
犬牙交错 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 犬quǎn
- 牙yá
- 交jiāo
- 错cuò
犬牙交错 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 犬牙交错
Origin and Story of 犬牙交错
After Emperor Gaozu (Liu Bang) founded the Han Dynasty, he enfeoffed many meritorious officials as kings in different regions. However, these kings soon wielded strong local power and even showed signs of rebellion, so Emperor Gaozu gradually eliminated them. To consolidate the Han imperial house, he then generously granted fiefdoms to members of his own clan.
The increasing number of these same-surname vassal states eventually led to the Rebellion of the Seven States, led by the King of Wu, during Emperor Jing's reign. Emperor Jing sent Grand Commandant Zhou Yafu to suppress the rebellion. Although the rebellion was quelled, the presence of these powerful vassal states continued to threaten the stability of the Han Dynasty.
Later, during the reign of Emperor Wu, in an effort to strengthen central authority, he implemented a policy of 'territorial reduction' to weaken the power of the regional kings and planned further actions. This move caused alarm among the princes, who pleaded with Emperor Wu, saying: 'We are connected to the imperial family by blood. The late emperor deliberately arranged our fiefdoms to be interlocked like dog's teeth (犬牙般交错), precisely so that we could collectively protect the Han Dynasty. We hope Your Majesty will be lenient.' In response, Emperor Wu subsequently issued the 'Tui En Ling' (Edict of Grace), which allowed the princes to divide their territories among their sons. This effectively and indirectly weakened the power of the various vassal states and successfully solidified central authority.
Idioms Related to 犬牙交错
Synonyms of 犬牙交错
Antonyms of 犬牙交错
More idioms starting with 犬
- quǎn犬bù不yè夜fèi吠dogs do not bark at night
- quǎn犬tù兔jù俱bì毙both parties perish in a lose-lose situation
- quǎn犬fèi吠zhī之dào盗a petty thief
- quǎn犬fèi吠zhī之jǐng警alarm of barking dogs
- quǎn犬yá牙chà差hù互unevenly interlocked like dog's teeth
- quǎn犬yá牙pán盘shí石deeply entrenched and stable structure
- quǎn犬yá牙xiāng相lín临interlocked like dog's teeth
- quǎn犬yá牙xiāng相jiē接interlocking like dog's teeth
- quǎn犬yá牙xiāng相cuò错intricate and complexly interwoven
- quǎn犬yá牙yīng鹰zhǎo爪ruthless and aggressive tactics
- quǎn犬jì迹hú狐zōng踪humble or weak skills
Questions about 犬牙交错
- What does 犬牙交错 mean?
- 犬牙交错 (quǎn yá jiāo cuò) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes something irregular, interlocking, or jagged like dog's teeth; also used metaphorically to describe a complex, convoluted, and intertwined situation with various conflicting elements”.
- How do you pronounce 犬牙交错?
- 犬牙交错 is pronounced quǎn yá jiāo cuò in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 犬牙交错 literally mean?
- Literally, 犬牙交错 means “dog's teeth interlocked/crisscrossed”. It is used to mean “describes something irregular, interlocking, or jagged like dog's teeth; also used metaphorically to describe a complex, convoluted, and intertwined situation with various conflicting elements”.
- Where does 犬牙交错 come from?
- 犬牙交错 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 犬牙交错?
- 错：交叉，错杂。比喻交界线很曲折，象狗牙那样参差不齐。也比喻情况复杂，双方有多种因素参差交错。