涸泽之蛇 — “Snake in a dried-up swamp”
涸泽之蛇 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “refers to cunning individuals who exploit difficult situations or the naivety of others to gain an unfair advantage, often at the expense of the honest or straightforward”. Literally, “Snake in a dried-up swamp”.
涸泽之蛇 Pronunciation and Pinyin
涸泽之蛇 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 涸泽之蛇
Origin and Story of 涸泽之蛇
When Tian Chengzi left the state of Qi to go to the state of Yan, Chi Yizi Pi served as his attendant.
Zipi told him the story of the snake in a dried-up swamp: as a marsh dried up, a large snake carried a small snake to escape. People, upon seeing this, quickly made way, thinking they had encountered a divine snake.
Zipi then said, 'Now, you are dignified in appearance, while I am rather plain. It would be better for you to pretend to be my attendant. People would then assume I am a high official, a minister of ten thousand chariots.'
Following this advice, Tian Chengzi carried documents and walked behind Zipi, and they were indeed treated with greater deference and hospitality.
Idioms Related to 涸泽之蛇
More idioms starting with 涸
- hé涸sī思gān干lǜ虑rack one's brains
- hé涸zé泽ér而yú渔drain pond to fish
- hé涸zé泽ér而yú渔，，fén焚lín林ér而liè猎destroy for short-term gain
- hé涸zhé辙zhī之kū枯desperate person needing urgent help
- hé涸zhé辙zhī之yú鱼fish in a dry rut
- hé涸zhé辙zhī之fù鲋fish in a dry rut, urgently needing help
- hé涸zhé辙kū枯yú鱼a person in desperate straits
- hé涸zhé辙qióng穷yú鱼a person in desperate need of help
- hé涸zhé辙qióng穷lín鳞fish in a dry rut, desperate for help
- hé涸yú鱼dé得shuǐ水rescued from a desperate situation
- hé涸fù鲋dé得shuǐ水saved from a desperate situation
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Open the tool →Questions about 涸泽之蛇
What does 涸泽之蛇 mean?
涸泽之蛇 (hé zé zhī shé) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “refers to cunning individuals who exploit difficult situations or the naivety of others to gain an unfair advantage, often at the expense of the honest or straightforward”.
How do you pronounce 涸泽之蛇?
涸泽之蛇 is pronounced hé zé zhī shé in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 涸泽之蛇 literally mean?
Literally, 涸泽之蛇 means “Snake in a dried-up swamp”. It is used to mean “refers to cunning individuals who exploit difficult situations or the naivety of others to gain an unfair advantage, often at the expense of the honest or straightforward”.
Where does 涸泽之蛇 come from?
涸泽之蛇 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 涸泽之蛇?
老实人受欺负，奸诈的人玩弄手段得到好处