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趁人之危
趁人之危
趁人之危
趁人之危
趁人之危
趁人之危
趁人之危
趁人之危
趁人之危
趁人之危

趁人之危 — “Take advantage of others' danger”

趁人之危 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to take advantage of someone's vulnerable or difficult situation for one's own benefit, often by exploiting or harming them”. Literally, “take advantage of others' danger”.

Frequency

趁人之危 Pronunciation and Pinyin

趁人之危 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
趁
chèn12take advantage of
人
rén2human being, person
之
zhī4possessive or connective particle
危
wēi6dangerous, in peril

Example Sentence with 趁人之危

在公司面临困境时,有些竞争对手却趁人之危,试图抢走我们的客户。
When the company was facing difficulties, some competitors took advantage of its perilous state, trying to snatch away our clients.

Origin and Story of 趁人之危

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Su Zhenghe, an official under Liang Hong, the Inspector of Liangzhou, fearlessly investigated and prosecuted the Prefect of Wuwei according to the law.

Liang Hong worried that this investigation might implicate high-ranking court officials, so he contemplated killing Su Zhenghe to silence him. He then consulted his close friend, Gai Xun, for advice.

Although Gai Xun and Su Zhenghe were known rivals, Gai Xun firmly stated that it was unbenevolent to take advantage of someone's difficult situation to harm them.

Idioms Related to 趁人之危

Synonyms of 趁人之危

  • chèn趁huǒ火dǎ打jié劫profit from others' distress

More idioms starting with 趁

  • chèn趁shì势shōu收péng篷Quit while you are ahead
  • chèn趁shì势luò落péng篷seize opportunity to stop
  • chèn趁hōng哄dǎ打jié劫rob during a commotion
  • chèn趁huǒ夥dǎ打jié劫loot a burning house
  • chèn趁xīn心xiàng像yì意to one's heart's content
  • chèn趁xīn心rú如yì意to one's heart's content
  • chèn趁shuǐ水huò和ní泥seize opportunity to accomplish something
  • chèn趁bō波zhú逐làng浪drift with the tide
  • chèn趁làng浪zhú逐bō波go with the flow
  • chèn趁huǒ火qiǎng抢jié劫exploit a crisis for personal gain
  • chèn趁rè热dǎ打tiě铁Strike while the iron is hot

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Questions about 趁人之危

What does 趁人之危 mean?

趁人之危 (chèn rén zhī wēi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to take advantage of someone's vulnerable or difficult situation for one's own benefit, often by exploiting or harming them”.

How do you pronounce 趁人之危?

趁人之危 is pronounced chèn rén zhī wēi in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 趁人之危 literally mean?

Literally, 趁人之危 means “take advantage of others' danger”. It is used to mean “to take advantage of someone's vulnerable or difficult situation for one's own benefit, often by exploiting or harming them”.

Where does 趁人之危 come from?

趁人之危 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to modern Chinese. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 趁人之危?

利用别人有困难时加以要挟或陷害。

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