中山狼 — “An ungrateful person who repays kindness with malice”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 中山狼?

比喻恩将仇报，忘恩负义的人

中山狼 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “an ungrateful person who repays kindness with malice”. A treacherous individual who turns against their benefactor. Literally, “Zhongshan wolf”.

Frequency

中山狼 Pronunciation and Pinyin

中山狼 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
中	zhōng	4	middle, in, China, hit, win
山	shān	3	mountain or hill
狼	láng	10	wolf, cruel, greedy

Example Sentence with 中山狼

他表面上对你客客气气，实则是个中山狼，背后捅刀子，你可要当心。

He acts courteously towards you on the surface, but in reality, he is an ungrateful person who will stab you in the back; you must be careful.

Origin and Story of 中山狼

During the Spring and Autumn period, Zhao Jianzi, a high official from the Jin state, was hunting in Zhongshan. He fiercely pursued a wolf.

The wolf, cornered, encountered Mr. Dongguo, a kind-hearted scholar, and pleaded, 'Sir, if you could lend me your sack to hide for a while and escape this calamity, I would surely repay your great kindness.'

Mr. Dongguo, taking pity on the wolf, helped it hide in his sack.

After Zhao Jianzi left, the wolf safely jumped out of the sack. Instead of showing gratitude, it immediately lunged at Mr. Dongguo, intending to bite and eat him.