虎头蛇尾 — “Tiger head, snake tail”
虎头蛇尾 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to start with a great flourish or strong momentum but end weakly or inconclusively; to have a strong beginning but a weak ending; to fail to see something through to the end with the same vigor”. Literally, “tiger head, snake tail”.
虎头蛇尾 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 虎hǔ
- 头tóu
- 蛇shé
- 尾wěi
虎头蛇尾 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 虎头蛇尾
Origin and Story of 虎头蛇尾
During the Qing Dynasty, officialdom was extremely corrupt, where one could purchase official titles simply by having money.
Censor Du in the capital submitted a memorial to the Emperor, urging the rectification of official administration.
The Governor of Hunan Province, upon receiving the imperial decree, immediately organized an examination for his subordinate civil and military officials. He declared that anyone caught hiring a proxy would be beheaded immediately.
However, the proxy for his own second son was caught on the spot.
Consequently, this grand initiative had to end in a 'tiger head, snake tail' fashion, starting with great fanfare but concluding inconclusively.
Idioms Related to 虎头蛇尾
Antonyms of 虎头蛇尾
More idioms starting with 虎
- hǔ虎bù不shí食ér儿parental love is universal
- hǔ虎tǐ体yuán元bān斑imposing official of high status
- hǔ虎tǐ体yuán原bān斑high-ranking official's powerful presence
- hǔ虎tǐ体xióng熊yāo腰powerful muscular build
- hǔ虎tǐ体yuān鹓bān斑powerful high-ranking official
- hǔ虎sì兕chū出xiá柙dangerous elements emerge due to negligence
- hǔ虎dǎng党hú狐chái侪wicked and sly associates
- hǔ虎rù入yáng羊qún群powerful aggressor among the defenseless
- hǔ虎wò卧lóng龙tiào跳vigorous and unrestrained style
- hǔ虎biàn变lóng龙zhēng蒸seize opportunities to transform and rise swiftly
- hǔ虎kǒu口yú余shēng生a narrow escape from mortal danger
- hǔ虎kǒu口duó夺shí食undertake an extremely dangerous task
Questions about 虎头蛇尾
- What does 虎头蛇尾 mean?
- 虎头蛇尾 (hǔ tóu shé wěi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to start with a great flourish or strong momentum but end weakly or inconclusively; to have a strong beginning but a weak ending; to fail to see something through to the end with the same vigor”.
- How do you pronounce 虎头蛇尾?
- 虎头蛇尾 is pronounced hǔ tóu shé wěi in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 虎头蛇尾 literally mean?
- Literally, 虎头蛇尾 means “tiger head, snake tail”. It is used to mean “to start with a great flourish or strong momentum but end weakly or inconclusively; to have a strong beginning but a weak ending; to fail to see something through to the end with the same vigor”.
- Where does 虎头蛇尾 come from?
- 虎头蛇尾 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 虎头蛇尾?
- 头大如虎，尾细如蛇。比喻开始时声势很大，到后来劲头很小，有始无终。