相煎何急 — “Why are we persecuting each other so fiercely?”
相煎何急 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Why are you persecuting each other so fiercely? (used to describe bitter internal strife, especially among close relatives or people from the same group, implying a tragic self-inflicted harm)”. Literally, “Why are we persecuting each other so fiercely?”.
相煎何急 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 相xiāng
- 煎jiān
- 何hé
- 急jí
相煎何急 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 相煎何急
Origin and Story of 相煎何急
During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Pi, Emperor Wen of Wei, was deeply jealous of his brother Cao Zhi's literary talent. He sought a pretext to eliminate him and commanded Cao Zhi to compose a poem within seven paces, or face execution.
Cao Zhi promptly recited: 'Beans are boiled to make soup, the pulp is strained to make juice. The beanstalk burns beneath the pot, the beans weep inside the pot. We are originally from the same root, why are you persecuting me so fiercely?'
Moved by the poem, Cao Pi had no choice but to demote Cao Zhi and send him to guard the frontier.
Idioms Related to 相煎何急
Antonyms of 相煎何急
More idioms starting with 相
- xiāng相yǔ与yī一kǒu口collude and speak with one accord
- xiāng相yǔ与wéi为yī一merge into one
- xiāng相yǔ与wèi为mìng命depend on each other for survival
- xiāng相wèi为biǎo表lǐ里interdependent as exterior and interior
- xiāng相xí习chéng成sú俗mutual practice forms custom
- xiāng相xí习chéng成fēng风habits form a custom
- xiāng相hù互zūn尊zhòng重show mutual respect
- xiāng相jiāo交yǒu有nián年long-standing friendship
- xiāng相qīn亲xiāng相ài爱love and cherish each other deeply
- xiāng相qīn亲xiāng相jìn近mutually affectionate and intimate
- xiāng相fǎng仿xiāng相xiào效imitate and emulate each other
- xiàng相tǐ体cái裁yī衣tailor to fit the situation
Questions about 相煎何急
- What does 相煎何急 mean?
- 相煎何急 (xiāng jiān hé jí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Why are you persecuting each other so fiercely? (used to describe bitter internal strife, especially among close relatives or people from the same group, implying a tragic self-inflicted harm)”.
- How do you pronounce 相煎何急?
- 相煎何急 is pronounced xiāng jiān hé jí in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 相煎何急 literally mean?
- Literally, 相煎何急 means “Why are we persecuting each other so fiercely?”. It is used to mean “Why are you persecuting each other so fiercely? (used to describe bitter internal strife, especially among close relatives or people from the same group, implying a tragic self-inflicted harm)”.
- Where does 相煎何急 come from?
- 相煎何急 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 相煎何急?
- 煎煮得为什么那样急。比喻兄弟间自相残害。