豆萁相煎 — “To describe internal strife or ruthless rivalry among close relatives”
豆萁相煎 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to describe internal strife or ruthless rivalry among close relatives”. Especially brothers, implying that those who should be united are harming each other. Literally, “Beanstalks boiling beans”.
豆萁相煎 Pronunciation and Pinyin
豆萁相煎 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 豆萁相煎
Origin and Story of 豆萁相煎
During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Pi, Emperor Wen of Wei, was very jealous of his younger brother Cao Zhi's talent. Seeking a pretext to kill him, Cao Pi commanded Cao Zhi to compose a poem within seven paces, or face execution.
Cao Zhi composed the famous poem: 'Beans are boiled to make soup, the pulp is strained to make juice. The beanstalks burn beneath the pot, the beans in the pot weep. We are born of the same root, why are you so eager to torment each other?'
Cao Pi had no choice but to demote him to guard the frontier.
Idioms Related to 豆萁相煎
Synonyms of 豆萁相煎
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Open the tool →Questions about 豆萁相煎
What does 豆萁相煎 mean?
豆萁相煎 (dòu qí xiāng jiān) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to describe internal strife or ruthless rivalry among close relatives”.
How do you pronounce 豆萁相煎?
豆萁相煎 is pronounced dòu qí xiāng jiān in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 豆萁相煎 literally mean?
Literally, 豆萁相煎 means “Beanstalks boiling beans”. It is used to mean “to describe internal strife or ruthless rivalry among close relatives”.
Where does 豆萁相煎 come from?
豆萁相煎 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 豆萁相煎?
比喻兄弟相残。同“豆萁燃豆”。