虚与委蛇 — “To pretend to be polite and compliant”
虚与委蛇 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to pretend to be polite and compliant”. To deal with someone evasively and insincerely; to feign cordiality. Literally, “Feigned compliance and evasiveness”.
Frequency
虚与委蛇 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 虚xū
- 与yǔ
- 委wēi
- 蛇yí
虚与委蛇 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 虚与委蛇
他知道对方心怀不轨，所以只是虚与委蛇，没有透露任何重要信息。
He knew the other party had ill intentions, so he merely feigned cordiality and compliance, revealing no important information.
Origin and Story of 虚与委蛇
During the Warring States period, Liezi was a student of Huzhi, studying the Daoist philosophy of Laozi and Zhuangzi. Later, he met Jixian, a shaman from Zheng, and introduced him to Huzhi.
They began to compete in a spiritual duel. Huzhi dealt with Jixian evasively and insincerely, making him feel that Huzhi was unfathomable, so Jixian fled in haste.
Liezi diligently studied and cultivated the Daoist philosophy of Laozi and Zhuangzi, eventually reaching a state of self-forgetfulness.
Idioms Related to 虚与委蛇
Synonyms of 虚与委蛇
More idioms starting with 虚
- xū虚yī一ér而jìng静Observe with an open, focused, and calm mind
- xū虚zhōng中lè乐shàn善Humble and joyful in benevolence
- xū虚wèi为wēi委yí蛇outwardly courteous but insincere
- xū虚wèi位yǐ以dài待hold a position open for someone
- xū虚shòu受yì益，，mǎn满zhāo招sǔn损Humility benefits, conceit harms
- xū虚míng名zài在wài外undeserved fame
- xū虚míng名bó薄lì利indifferent to fame and gain
- xū虚zuǐ嘴lüè掠shé舌sweet-talk with glib, insincere words
- xū虚táng堂xuán悬jìng镜scrupulously fair, just, and impartial
- xū虚shēng声dòng恫hè吓to bluff and make empty threats
- xū虚shí实shī失dù度imbalance between reality and illusion
- xū虚shì室shàng上bái白empty mind, inner clarity
Questions about 虚与委蛇
- What does 虚与委蛇 mean?
- 虚与委蛇 (xū yǔ wēi yí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to pretend to be polite and compliant”.
- How do you pronounce 虚与委蛇?
- 虚与委蛇 is pronounced xū yǔ wēi yí in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 虚与委蛇 literally mean?
- Literally, 虚与委蛇 means “Feigned compliance and evasiveness”. It is used to mean “to pretend to be polite and compliant”.
- Where does 虚与委蛇 come from?
- 虚与委蛇 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 虚与委蛇?
- 虚：假；委蛇：随便应顺。指对人虚情假意，敷衍应酬。