九关虎豹 — “Refers to ruthless”
九关虎豹 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “refers to ruthless”. Oppressive, and dangerous powerful officials or influential figures, likened to fierce tigers and leopards guarding crucial passes. Literally, “Nine passes with tigers and leopards”.
九关虎豹 Pronunciation and Pinyin
九关虎豹 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 九关虎豹
Origin and Story of 九关虎豹
During the Warring States period, Qu Yuan was exiled by King Huai of Chu.
After King Huai died at the hands of the Qin people, Qu Yuan composed the poem 'Summoning the Soul' (Zhao Hun) to express his deep sorrow.
In the poem, he implored: 'Return, oh soul of the King of Chu! Do not ascend to the heavenly court. To reach the heavenly court, one must pass through nine layers of gates, and at each gate, there are tigers and leopards standing guard. These are ferocious, man-eating creatures, truly too dangerous. Please, just return!'
Idioms Related to 九关虎豹
Synonyms of 九关虎豹
More idioms starting with 九
- jiǔ九shì世zhī之chóu仇deep-seated, long-standing hatred
- jiǔ九shì世tóng同jū居nine generations living together
- jiǔ九jiǔ九guī归yī一all things return to one
- jiǔ九jiǔ九guī归yuán原everything boils down to
- jiǔ九wǔ五zhī之wèi位the imperial throne
- jiǔ九wǔ五zhī之zūn尊the emperor's supreme position
- jiǔ九rèn仞yī一kuì篑fail at the last step
- jiǔ九rú儒shí十gài丐Scholars discriminated against, just above beggars
- jiǔ九shí十chūn春guāng光the entire spring season
- jiǔ九yuán原zhī之xià下in the realm of the dead
- jiǔ九yuán原kě可zuò作Wish the dead could be brought back to life
- jiǔ九biàn变shí十huà化undergo numerous changes
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Open the tool →Questions about 九关虎豹
What does 九关虎豹 mean?
九关虎豹 (jiǔ guān hǔ bào) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “refers to ruthless”.
How do you pronounce 九关虎豹?
九关虎豹 is pronounced jiǔ guān hǔ bào in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 九关虎豹 literally mean?
Literally, 九关虎豹 means “Nine passes with tigers and leopards”. It is used to mean “refers to ruthless”.
Where does 九关虎豹 come from?
九关虎豹 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 九关虎豹?
比喻凶残的权臣。