听人穿鼻 — “To be completely at the mercy of others”
听人穿鼻 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be completely at the mercy of others”. To allow oneself to be manipulated or controlled by others, like an ox led by a ring through its nose. Literally, “Allowing others to pierce one's nose”.
听人穿鼻 Pronunciation and Pinyin
听人穿鼻 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 听人穿鼻
Origin and Story of 听人穿鼻
In 493 AD, after the death of Emperor Wu of Southern Qi, Xiao Zhaoye ascended the throne, with Xu Xiaosi, the Minister of Personnel, assisting in governance.
Xiao Luan, Marquis of Xichang, secretly plotted to usurp the throne and disclosed his plan to Xu Xiaosi.
Xu Xiaosi did not object; instead, the two collaborated to strangle Xiao Zhaoye, successfully seizing power.
Zhang Hongce commented that Xu Xiaosi was like an ox with a rope through its nose, allowing others to lead it.
Idioms Related to 听人穿鼻
Synonyms of 听人穿鼻
More idioms starting with 听
- tīng听zhī之rèn任zhī之Let things take their course
- tīng听qí其zì自biàn便let someone act as they wish
- tīng听qí其zì自liú流let it flow naturally
- tīng听qí其zì自rán然Let things take their natural course
- tīng听qí其yán言ér而guān观qí其xíng行Judge by actions, not just words
- tīng听qí其yán言guān观qí其xíng行judge by actions, not words
- tīng听mìng命yóu由tiān天resign oneself to fate
- tīng听tiān天rèn任mìng命resign oneself to fate
- tīng听tiān天wěi委mìng命resign oneself to fate
- tīng听tiān天ān安mìng命Resign oneself to fate
- tīng听tiān天yóu由mìng命resign oneself to fate
- tīng听wēi微jué决yí疑Observe subtle details to resolve difficult problems
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Open the tool →Questions about 听人穿鼻
What does 听人穿鼻 mean?
听人穿鼻 (tīng rén chuān bí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be completely at the mercy of others”.
How do you pronounce 听人穿鼻?
听人穿鼻 is pronounced tīng rén chuān bí in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 听人穿鼻 literally mean?
Literally, 听人穿鼻 means “Allowing others to pierce one's nose”. It is used to mean “to be completely at the mercy of others”.
Where does 听人穿鼻 come from?
听人穿鼻 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 听人穿鼻?
听：任凭；穿鼻：牛鼻子穿桊。比喻听凭别人摆布。