冯谖三窟 — “Feng Xuan's three burrows”
冯谖三窟 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to establish multiple safe havens or contingency plans to ensure security and avoid danger; to have a backup plan for a backup plan”. Literally, “Feng Xuan's three burrows”.
冯谖三窟 Pronunciation and Pinyin
冯谖三窟 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 冯谖三窟
Origin and Story of 冯谖三窟
During the Warring States period, Lord Mengchang, the Prime Minister of Qi, sent his retainer Feng Xuan to collect debts in Xue. Feng Xuan, falsely claiming Mengchang's orders, burned all the debt contracts, making the indebted commoners deeply grateful to Lord Mengchang.
Upon his return, Feng Xuan said, "A wily hare has three burrows, and only then can it escape death; now you, my lord, have only one burrow, and cannot yet rest easy." He then proceeded to secure "three burrows" for Lord Mengchang, which led to Mengchang being highly valued by the King of Qi.
Idioms Related to 冯谖三窟
Synonyms of 冯谖三窟
More idioms starting with 冯
- féng冯táng唐tóu头bái白lamenting old age and missed opportunities
- féng冯táng唐yǐ已lǎo老old and past one's prime
- féng冯táng唐yì易lǎo老Too old to fulfill ambitions
- féng冯táng唐bái白shǒu首talents recognized too late in life
- féng冯hé河bào暴hǔ虎act with reckless abandon
- féng冯shēng生dàn弹jiá铗unappreciated talent desires better treatment
- féng冯huān驩dàn弹jiá铗lament unrecognized talent, seek patronage
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Open the tool →Questions about 冯谖三窟
What does 冯谖三窟 mean?
冯谖三窟 (féng xuān sān kū) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to establish multiple safe havens or contingency plans to ensure security and avoid danger; to have a backup plan for a backup plan”.
How do you pronounce 冯谖三窟?
冯谖三窟 is pronounced féng xuān sān kū in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 冯谖三窟 literally mean?
Literally, 冯谖三窟 means “Feng Xuan's three burrows”. It is used to mean “to establish multiple safe havens or contingency plans to ensure security and avoid danger; to have a backup plan for a backup plan”.
Where does 冯谖三窟 come from?
冯谖三窟 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 冯谖三窟?
冯谖：冯驩，战国时孟尝君的门客；窟：窝。比喻为安全设置多处藏身之地或采取多种避祸之策