What does 自投罗网 mean?

自投罗网 (zì tóu luó wǎng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to walk right into a trap”.

How do you pronounce 自投罗网?

自投罗网 is pronounced zì tóu luó wǎng in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 自投罗网 literally mean?

Literally, 自投罗网 means “oneself throws into the net”. It is used to mean “to walk right into a trap”.

Where does 自投罗网 come from?

自投罗网 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 自投罗网?

投：进入；罗网：捕捉鱼鸟的器具。自己投到罗网里去。比喻自己送死。

自投罗网 — “To walk right into a trap”

自投罗网 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to walk right into a trap”. To bring trouble upon oneself; to court disaster. Literally, “oneself throws into the net”.

Frequency

自投罗网 Pronunciation and Pinyin

自zì
投tóu
罗luó
网wǎng

自投罗网 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
自	zì	6	from, self, naturally
投	tóu	7	throw, cast, or invest
罗	luó	8	net, capture, arrange, silk
网	wǎng	6	net, web, or network

Example Sentence with 自投罗网

那小偷以为夜深人静，偷偷潜入商店行窃，没想到店里装有监控，这简直是自投罗网

The thief thought it was late and quiet, and secretly snuck into the store to steal, but unexpectedly the store had surveillance, which was simply walking right into a trap.

Origin and Story of 自投罗网

During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Zhi, son of Cao Cao, was a brilliant and talented scholar, highly favored by his father. However, his indulgence in alcohol gradually weakened his chances of inheriting the throne.

After Cao Pi ascended to power as emperor, he had Cao Zhi's close friend, Ding Yi, arrested. Cao Zhi, who was essentially a prisoner despite his title as a prince, composed the poem 'Song of the Yellow Oriole in the Wild Field' (野田黄雀行).

In this poem, he wrote a line that metaphorically depicted self-inflicted danger: 'I do not see the sparrow by the fence, but I see the hawk throwing itself into the net' (不见篱间雀，见鹞自投罗). This line is seen as the origin or a strong inspiration for the idiom '自投罗网' (zì tóu luó wǎng), illustrating the idea of willingly walking into a trap or inviting disaster.

Idioms Related to 自投罗网

Synonyms of 自投罗网

Antonyms of 自投罗网

táo逃zhī之yāo夭yāo夭to make a quick and clean escape

More idioms starting with 自

Questions about 自投罗网

What does 自投罗网 mean?: 自投罗网 (zì tóu luó wǎng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to walk right into a trap”.
How do you pronounce 自投罗网?: 自投罗网 is pronounced zì tóu luó wǎng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 自投罗网 literally mean?: Literally, 自投罗网 means “oneself throws into the net”. It is used to mean “to walk right into a trap”.
Where does 自投罗网 come from?: 自投罗网 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 自投罗网?: 投：进入；罗网：捕捉鱼鸟的器具。自己投到罗网里去。比喻自己送死。

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