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.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Synonym:
Antonym:
Story:
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.