Hanzi
CharactersIdiomsChinese ZodiacChinese Name
Tools
  • Chinese Word CounterCount characters, words and sentences in Chinese text
  • Pinyin GeneratorConvert Chinese text to pinyin with tone marks
  • Chinese Text Image GeneratorCreate PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
  • Chinese Text to SpeechRead Chinese aloud with karaoke highlighting
  • Stroke Order AnimatorTurn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
  • Chinese Text Morph AnimatorTurn one Chinese character, word or phrase into another; download SVG, MP4 or WebM
  • Writing WorksheetsPrintable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
View all tools →
Blogs
自食其果
自食其果
自食其果
自食其果
自食其果
自食其果
自食其果
自食其果
自食其果
自食其果

自食其果 — “To suffer the consequences of one's own actions”

自食其果 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to suffer the consequences of one's own actions”. To reap what one has sown; to stew in one's own juice. Literally, “eat one's own fruit”.

Frequency

自食其果 Pronunciation and Pinyin

  • 自zì
  • 食shí
  • 其qí
  • 果guǒ

自食其果 Character Breakdown

CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
自
zì6from, self, naturally
食
shí9eat food eclipse
其
qí8its, his, her, their
果
guǒ8fruit, result, or indeed

Example Sentence with 自食其果

他因为经常欺骗朋友,最终失去了所有人的信任,真是自食其果。
Because he often deceived his friends, he eventually lost everyone's trust; truly, he reaped what he had sown.

Origin and Story of 自食其果

During the Song Dynasty, there was a high-ranking official named Qiu Jun. One day, he went to visit a monk. The monk, seeing Qiu Jun's simple attire and not recognizing him as an official, treated him with disdain and impoliteness.

Soon after, the son of a high-ranking military officer arrived. Noticing his magnificent clothing, the monk immediately approached him with a beaming smile and utmost reverence, offering a warm welcome. Qiu Jun was furious witnessing this favoritism.

After the officer's son departed, he angrily confronted the monk, 'Why were you so rude to me, yet so exceptionally kind to him?' The eloquent monk replied, 'You misunderstand! I might be outwardly polite to some, but not necessarily inwardly. Conversely, for those I truly respect within, there's no need for excessive outward politeness.'

At that very moment, Qiu Jun happened to be holding a walking stick. In a fit of rage, he struck the monk on the head, saying, 'According to your logic, hitting you means I love you, and not hitting you means I hate you. Therefore, I have no choice but to hit you!'

Idioms Related to 自食其果

Synonyms of 自食其果

  • zuò作fǎ法zì自bì毙hoist with one's own petard
  • zuò作jiǎn茧zì自fù缚to be caught in one's own trap
  • jiù咎yóu由zì自qǔ取to bring trouble upon oneself
  • wán玩huǒ火zì自fén焚play with fire, get burned
  • zì自zuò作zì自shòu受suffer consequences of one's own actions
  • zì自qǔ取miè灭wáng亡bring about one's own destruction
  • zì自tóu投luó罗wǎng网walk right into a trap

Antonyms of 自食其果

  • jià嫁huò祸yú于rén人shift blame onto others

More idioms starting with 自

  • zì自shàng上ér而xià下From top to bottom
  • zì自xià下ér而shàng上from the bottom up
  • zì自bù不dài待yán言goes without saying
  • zì自bù不liàng量lì力overestimate one's own abilities
  • zì自yè业zì自dé得reap what one has sown
  • zì自chǎn产zì自xiāo销produce and sell one's own products
  • zì自jīn今yǐ以wǎng往From now on
  • zì自jīn今yǐ已hòu后From now on
  • zì自jīn今yǐ已wǎng往from now on
  • zì自jīn今ér而hòu后from now on
  • zì自yǐ以wéi为dé得jì计to fancy one's own clever scheme
  • zì自yǐ以wéi为shì是self-righteous and opinionated

Questions about 自食其果

What does 自食其果 mean?
自食其果 (zì shí qí guǒ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to suffer the consequences of one's own actions”.
How do you pronounce 自食其果?
自食其果 is pronounced zì shí qí guǒ in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 自食其果 literally mean?
Literally, 自食其果 means “eat one's own fruit”. It is used to mean “to suffer the consequences of one's own actions”.
Where does 自食其果 come from?
自食其果 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to modern Chinese. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 自食其果?
指自己做了坏事,自己受到损害或惩罚。
Copy the pinyin for 自食其果 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.

© 2026 hanzi.now

Contact Us