犬牙相错 — “Dog's teeth interlocking/staggered”
犬牙相错 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes intricate and irregular boundaries or situations, like dogs' teeth that are unevenly interlocked; implying complexity and interweaving elements”. Literally, “dog's teeth interlocking/staggered”.
犬牙相错 Pronunciation and Pinyin
犬牙相错 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 犬牙相错
Origin and Story of 犬牙相错
The idiom "Quanya Xiangcuo" originates from the Western Han Dynasty. After establishing the dynasty, Emperor Gaozu, Liu Bang, enfeoffed many of his relatives and meritorious officials as kings, granting them significant territories. These vassal kings gradually grew powerful, often challenging the central authority.
During the reign of Emperor Jing, this tension culminated in the "Rebellion of the Seven States." Despite this major conflict, Emperor Jing later made a similar decision, granting extensive territories to his thirteen sons.
Years later, when Emperor Wu ascended to the throne, he sought to centralize power and reclaim some of these large fiefdoms. However, the vassal kings resisted, arguing that the former emperors had intentionally divided the lands in an intricate and interlocking (犬牙交错) way. They claimed this geographical arrangement was designed to make them mutually dependent and collectively defend the dynasty's vast domain, rather than allowing their territories to be easily consolidated or taken back.
Idioms Related to 犬牙相错
Synonyms of 犬牙相错
More idioms starting with 犬
- quǎn犬bù不yè夜fèi吠dogs do not bark at night
- quǎn犬tù兔jù俱bì毙both parties perish in a lose-lose situation
- quǎn犬fèi吠zhī之dào盗a petty thief
- quǎn犬fèi吠zhī之jǐng警alarm of barking dogs
- quǎn犬yá牙chà差hù互unevenly interlocked like dog's teeth
- quǎn犬yá牙pán盘shí石deeply entrenched and stable structure
- quǎn犬yá牙xiāng相lín临interlocked like dog's teeth
- quǎn犬yá牙xiāng相zhì制interlocking mutual containment
- quǎn犬yá牙xiāng相jiē接interlocking like dog's teeth
- quǎn犬yá牙yīng鹰zhǎo爪ruthless and aggressive tactics
- quǎn犬jì迹hú狐zōng踪humble or weak skills
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Open the tool →Questions about 犬牙相错
What does 犬牙相错 mean?
犬牙相错 (quǎn yá xiāng cuò) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes intricate and irregular boundaries or situations, like dogs' teeth that are unevenly interlocked; implying complexity and interweaving elements”.
How do you pronounce 犬牙相错?
犬牙相错 is pronounced quǎn yá xiāng cuò in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 犬牙相错 literally mean?
Literally, 犬牙相错 means “dog's teeth interlocking/staggered”. It is used to mean “describes intricate and irregular boundaries or situations, like dogs' teeth that are unevenly interlocked; implying complexity and interweaving elements”.
Where does 犬牙相错 come from?
犬牙相错 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 犬牙相错?
错：交叉，错杂。比喻交界线很曲折，象狗牙那样参差不齐。也比喻情况复杂，双方有多种因素参差交错。