坐山观虎斗 — “Sit on the mountain and watch tigers fight”
坐山观虎斗 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to stand by and watch two rivals fight, waiting for both sides to be exhausted or injured, so as to gain advantage from their mutual destruction; to sit on the mountain and watch tigers fight”. Literally, “Sit on the mountain and watch tigers fight”.
坐山观虎斗 Pronunciation and Pinyin
坐山观虎斗 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 坐山观虎斗
Origin and Story of 坐山观虎斗
During the Warring States period, the states of Han and Wei had been fighting for over a year without a clear victor. King Hui of Qin considered intervening, but Chen Zhen, an envoy from Chu, advised him.
Chen Zhen recounted the story of Bian Zhuangzi, who understood that when two tigers fight, one must be injured. Bian Zhuangzi waited for the two tigers to be mutually exhausted before killing both of them in one swift action.
Chen Zhen urged King Hui of Qin to adopt the strategy of 'sitting on the mountain and watching tigers fight,' waiting for the opportune moment to eliminate both states.
Idioms Related to 坐山观虎斗
Synonyms of 坐山观虎斗
More idioms starting with 坐
- zuò坐shàng上qín琴xīn心man's deep love for a woman
- zuò坐bù不chuí垂táng堂avoid dangerous places or situations
- zuò坐bù不ān安xí席too anxious to sit still
- zuò坐bù不kuī窥táng堂sit properly without looking around
- zuò坐bù不chóng重xí席live a frugal and simple life
- zuò坐yú于tú涂tàn炭to be in a wretched and filthy state
- zuò坐jǐng井kuī窥tiān天to have a very limited outlook
- zuò坐jǐng井guān观tiān天have a limited outlook
- zuò坐xiǎng享qí其gōng功enjoy others' hard work
- zuò坐xiǎng享qí其chéng成enjoy others' achievements without effort
- zuò坐yǐ以dài待wáng亡sit idly and await doom
- zuò坐yǐ以dài待dàn旦sit awaiting daybreak diligently
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Open the tool →Questions about 坐山观虎斗
What does 坐山观虎斗 mean?
坐山观虎斗 (zuò shān guān hǔ dòu) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to stand by and watch two rivals fight, waiting for both sides to be exhausted or injured, so as to gain advantage from their mutual destruction; to sit on the mountain and watch tigers fight”.
How do you pronounce 坐山观虎斗?
坐山观虎斗 is pronounced zuò shān guān hǔ dòu in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 坐山观虎斗 literally mean?
Literally, 坐山观虎斗 means “Sit on the mountain and watch tigers fight”. It is used to mean “to stand by and watch two rivals fight, waiting for both sides to be exhausted or injured, so as to gain advantage from their mutual destruction; to sit on the mountain and watch tigers fight”.
Where does 坐山观虎斗 come from?
坐山观虎斗 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 坐山观虎斗?
比喻对双方的斗争采取旁观的态度，等到双方都受到损伤，再从中捞取好处。