How do you pronounce 放虎归山?

放虎归山 is pronounced fàng hǔ guī shān in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 放虎归山 literally mean?

Literally, 放虎归山 means “release the tiger back to the mountains”. It is used to mean “to release a dangerous person or force, allowing them to escape and cause future trouble; to set a fox to guard the hens”.

Where does 放虎归山 come from?

放虎归山 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 放虎归山?

把老虎放回山去。比喻把坏人放回老巢，留下祸根。

放虎归山 — “Release the tiger back to the mountains”

放虎归山 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to release a dangerous person or force, allowing them to escape and cause future trouble; to set a fox to guard the hens”. Literally, “release the tiger back to the mountains”.

Frequency

放虎归山 Pronunciation and Pinyin

放fàng
虎hǔ
归guī
山shān

放虎归山 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
放	fàng	8	release, let go, put
虎	hǔ	8	Tiger; brave; intimidate
归	guī	5	return, go back, belong to
山	shān	3	mountain or hill

Example Sentence with 放虎归山

对于那些已经表现出明显不良意图的人，如果不采取措施，反而任其发展，无异于放虎归山，将来必生大患。

For those who have already shown clear malicious intentions, if no measures are taken and they are instead allowed to grow, it's tantamount to letting the tiger return to the mountains, which will surely lead to great trouble in the future.

Origin and Story of 放虎归山

During the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Bei found himself in a difficult position and sought refuge with Cao Cao. Cao Cao's strategist, Cheng Yu, knew that Liu Bei was no ordinary man and advised Cao Cao to eliminate him as soon as possible.

To allay Cao Cao's suspicions, Liu Bei pretended to be interested only in gardening and stayed out of political affairs.

After Cao Cao defeated Lu Bu, Liu Bei requested to lead troops to attack Yuan Shu. Cao Cao granted him 50,000 soldiers. Liu Bei then left Cao Cao and established his own independent force.

Idioms Related to 放虎归山

Synonyms of 放虎归山

yǎng养hǔ虎wéi为huàn患Nourish a tiger, invite disaster

Antonyms of 放虎归山

More idioms starting with 放

Questions about 放虎归山

What does 放虎归山 mean?: 放虎归山 (fàng hǔ guī shān) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to release a dangerous person or force, allowing them to escape and cause future trouble; to set a fox to guard the hens”.
How do you pronounce 放虎归山?: 放虎归山 is pronounced fàng hǔ guī shān in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 放虎归山 literally mean?: Literally, 放虎归山 means “release the tiger back to the mountains”. It is used to mean “to release a dangerous person or force, allowing them to escape and cause future trouble; to set a fox to guard the hens”.
Where does 放虎归山 come from?: 放虎归山 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 放虎归山?: 把老虎放回山去。比喻把坏人放回老巢，留下祸根。

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