以强凌弱 — “The strong bully the weak”
以强凌弱 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to exploit one's strength or position to oppress or bully those who are weaker or in a subordinate position; to use power to intimidate the vulnerable”. Literally, “The strong bully the weak”.
以强凌弱 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 以yǐ
- 强qiáng
- 凌líng
- 弱ruò
以强凌弱 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 以强凌弱
Origin and Story of 以强凌弱
Confucius had a friend named Liuxia Ji, whose younger brother, Zhi, was a leader of slave uprisings in the early Warring States period, known as 'Robber Zhi' (Dao Zhi). One day, Confucius went to see Zhi, hoping to persuade him to stop causing harm to the world.
Zhi said to Confucius, "If what you say pleases me, you shall live; if it displeases me, you shall die." Confucius suggested that Zhi was capable of becoming a king, yet he was called a robber, and he should be ashamed of this.
Upon hearing these words, Zhi became very angry and loudly rebuked Confucius, saying, "Do not tempt me with fame and fortune, and do not treat me as an ignorant person." Then, changing the subject, Zhi continued, "Since the time of the Yellow Emperor, there has been endless strife and continuous bloody battles. After Yao and Shun rose to power, they established numerous officials. Tang of Shang exiled his ruler, and King Wu of Zhou killed King Zhou of Shang. Since then, everyone has used their strength to bully the weak, and the many have invaded the few. Therefore, starting from Tang of Shang and King Wu of Zhou, they were all considered rebels.
Now, you teach these 'literary and martial' ways to future generations, deceiving rulers of the world to gain wealth and status. Therefore, I believe that all the robbers in the world are no match for you. Why don't people call you 'Robber King' and instead call me 'Robber Zhi'?"
Finally, Zhi said that everything Confucius had said was what he did not wish to hear, and he ordered Confucius to leave immediately. Confucius sighed, saying that he had brought trouble upon himself, and by stroking a tiger's whiskers, he was almost eaten by the tiger.
Idioms Related to 以强凌弱
Synonyms of 以强凌弱
Antonyms of 以强凌弱
More idioms starting with 以
- yǐ以yī一jǐng儆bǎi百punish one to warn many
- yǐ以yī一fèng奉bǎi百one producer supports a hundred consumers
- yǐ以yī一dāng当shí十fight with the strength of ten men
- yǐ以yī一dāng当bǎi百one person effective as a hundred
- yǐ以yī一chí持wàn万Grasp key to control the whole
- yǐ以yī一zhī知wàn万infer many from one
- yǐ以yī一jǐng警bǎi百punish one to warn many
- yǐ以yī一yù驭wàn万Control many by grasping the fundamental
- yǐ以bù不biàn变yìng应wàn万biàn变respond to change with no change
- yǐ以fǒu不jì济kě可help succeed by negating incorrect ideas
- yǐ以fēng丰bǔ补qiàn歉save in times of plenty for scarcity
- yǐ以wéi为kǒu口shí实provide material for criticism
Questions about 以强凌弱
- What does 以强凌弱 mean?
- 以强凌弱 (yǐ qiáng líng ruò) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to exploit one's strength or position to oppress or bully those who are weaker or in a subordinate position; to use power to intimidate the vulnerable”.
- How do you pronounce 以强凌弱?
- 以强凌弱 is pronounced yǐ qiáng líng ruò in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 以强凌弱 literally mean?
- Literally, 以强凌弱 means “the strong bully the weak”. It is used to mean “to exploit one's strength or position to oppress or bully those who are weaker or in a subordinate position; to use power to intimidate the vulnerable”.
- Where does 以强凌弱 come from?
- 以强凌弱 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 以强凌弱?
- 仗着自己强大就欺侮弱者。