







率兽食人 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to exploit and harm the common people, especially by those in positions of power, treating them as prey; to tyrannize the populace”. Literally, “Lead beasts to eat people”.
During the Warring States period, continuous wars among various states caused immense suffering among the common people, who were displaced from their homes. Mencius traveled to different states, advocating for rulers to abandon warfare and implement benevolent governance.
Mencius said to King Hui of Liang: "Your kitchens are full of fat meat, and your stables have strong horses, yet your people have hungry faces, and white bones litter the wilderness. This is tantamount to leading wild beasts to devour people. For a state to become prosperous and strong, it must care for its people."

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Open the tool →率兽食人 (shuài shòu shí rén) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to exploit and harm the common people, especially by those in positions of power, treating them as prey; to tyrannize the populace”.
率兽食人 is pronounced shuài shòu shí rén in Mandarin Chinese.
Literally, 率兽食人 means “Lead beasts to eat people”. It is used to mean “to exploit and harm the common people, especially by those in positions of power, treating them as prey; to tyrannize the populace”.
率兽食人 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
率:带领。带着野兽来吃人。比喻统治者虐害人民。