羊质虎皮 — “Outwardly strong but inwardly timid”
羊质虎皮 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Outwardly strong but inwardly timid”. Outwardly fierce but inwardly cowardly; someone who pretends to be powerful but is actually fearful or weak. Literally, “Sheep's nature, tiger's skin”.
羊质虎皮 Pronunciation and Pinyin
羊质虎皮 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 羊质虎皮
Origin and Story of 羊质虎皮
Yang Kan, son of Yang Zhi, a Longxiang General in the Northern Wei Dynasty, was tall and powerfully built. He followed his father into battle at a young age, achieving distinguished military accomplishments.
The Emperor of Northern Wei summoned him to court and deliberately remarked that he was 'a sheep with a tiger's skin' (羊质虎皮).
The Emperor then challenged him to imitate a tiger. Yang Kan dug ten holes in the floor with his fingers, truly resembling a tiger. The Emperor then praised him as a true brave warrior.
Idioms Related to 羊质虎皮
Synonyms of 羊质虎皮
More idioms starting with 羊
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- yáng羊zǎo枣chāng昌chù歜peculiar personal preference
- yáng羊máo毛chū出zài在yáng羊shēn身shàng上no such thing as a free lunch
- yáng羊hěn狠láng狼tān贪fierce and greedy exploitation
- yáng羊zhēn真kǒng孔cǎo草masterful calligraphy
- yáng羊xù续xuán悬yú鱼incorruptible official rejecting bribes
- yáng羊gāo羔měi美jiǔ酒fine mellow wine
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Open the tool →Questions about 羊质虎皮
What does 羊质虎皮 mean?
羊质虎皮 (yáng zhì hǔ pí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Outwardly strong but inwardly timid”.
How do you pronounce 羊质虎皮?
羊质虎皮 is pronounced yáng zhì hǔ pí in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 羊质虎皮 literally mean?
Literally, 羊质虎皮 means “Sheep's nature, tiger's skin”. It is used to mean “Outwardly strong but inwardly timid”.
Where does 羊质虎皮 come from?
羊质虎皮 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 羊质虎皮?
质：本性。羊虽然披上虎皮，还是见到草就喜欢，碰到豺狼就怕得发抖，它的本性没有变。比喻外表装作强大而实际上很胆小。