城狐社鼠 — “Fox in the city wall, rat in the temple”
城狐社鼠 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “refers to a villain who exploits power or influence to commit evil deeds and is difficult to eliminate because of their deep-rooted connections or protected position”. Literally, “Fox in the city wall, rat in the temple”.
城狐社鼠 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 城chéng
- 狐hú
- 社shè
- 鼠shǔ
城狐社鼠 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 城狐社鼠
Origin and Story of 城狐社鼠
During the Jin Dynasty, there was a Left General named Wang Dun, whose Chief Secretary was Xie Kun. They often discussed affairs of the imperial court.
One day, Wang Dun said to Xie Kun, "Liu Wei is treacherous and harmful to the state. I wish to eliminate this villain from the emperor's side to serve the court. What do you think?"
Xie Kun pondered for a moment, then shook his head and replied, "You mustn't. Liu Wei is indeed a bad person, but he is also like a 'city fox, temple rat'! If you try to dig out the fox, you might damage the city wall; if you try to smoke out or drown the rat, you might destroy the temple. Liu Wei is now just like the fox on the city wall and the rat in the temple. He is a close official to the emperor, holds considerable power, and has the emperor as his backing. It would probably be very difficult to get rid of him."
Although Wang Dun was displeased by Xie Kun's words, he had no choice but to give up the idea.
Idioms Related to 城狐社鼠
Synonyms of 城狐社鼠
Antonyms of 城狐社鼠
More idioms starting with 城
- chéng城xià下zhī之méng盟humiliating treaty signed under duress
- chéng城xià下zhī之rǔ辱humiliation of surrender under siege
- chéng城běi北xú徐gōng公a strikingly handsome man
- chéng城fǔ府shēn深chén沉deeply calculating and secretive
- chéng城mén门shī失huǒ火，，yāng殃jí及chí池yú鱼Innocent bystanders suffer collateral damage
- chéng城mén门yú鱼yāng殃innocent bystanders suffer collateral damage
Questions about 城狐社鼠
- What does 城狐社鼠 mean?
- 城狐社鼠 (chéng hú shè shǔ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “refers to a villain who exploits power or influence to commit evil deeds and is difficult to eliminate because of their deep-rooted connections or protected position”.
- How do you pronounce 城狐社鼠?
- 城狐社鼠 is pronounced chéng hú shè shǔ in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 城狐社鼠 literally mean?
- Literally, 城狐社鼠 means “Fox in the city wall, rat in the temple”. It is used to mean “refers to a villain who exploits power or influence to commit evil deeds and is difficult to eliminate because of their deep-rooted connections or protected position”.
- Where does 城狐社鼠 come from?
- 城狐社鼠 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 城狐社鼠?
- 社：土地庙。城墙上的狐狸，社庙里的老鼠。比喻依仗权势作恶，一时难以驱除的小人。