兔死狐悲 — “Hare dies, fox grieves”
兔死狐悲 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to grieve over the death of a comrade or a person of one's own kind, realizing that one might suffer the same fate; to lament a common lot”. Literally, “Hare dies, fox grieves”.
兔死狐悲 Pronunciation and Pinyin
兔死狐悲 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 兔死狐悲
Origin and Story of 兔死狐悲
Once upon a time, a rabbit and a fox formed an alliance and swore an oath to face their common enemy, the hunter, together, vowing to live and die together, sharing hardships.
One day, as they were enjoying the beauty of nature in the fields, a group of hunters suddenly appeared. An arrow instantly killed the rabbit, and the fox narrowly escaped danger.
After the hunters left, the fox rushed to the rabbit's side, wailing and mourning. An elder passing by saw the fox weeping beside the rabbit and found it strange, so he asked the fox the reason for its tears.
The fox sorrowfully replied, 'The rabbit and I are both small animals, targets for hunters. We vowed to face our enemies together, to live and die together, sharing hardships. Now my ally has been shot dead by the hunter. His death today means my death tomorrow. We are true friends; how can I not be sad and cry?'
The elder listened, sighed, and said, 'You have every reason to mourn and weep for such a companion!'
Idioms Related to 兔死狐悲
Synonyms of 兔死狐悲
Antonyms of 兔死狐悲
More idioms starting with 兔
- tù兔sī丝yàn燕mài麦titular but without practical value
- tù兔tóu头zhāng獐nǎo脑looking mean and sly
- tù兔tóu头zhāng麞nǎo脑shifty, wretched, or despicable appearance
- tù兔zi子bù不chī吃wō窝biān边cǎo草A wrongdoer avoids harming those nearby
- tù兔jǐn尽gǒu狗pēng烹discard loyal subordinates after they served their purpose
- tù兔sǐ死fú凫jǔ举act with extreme speed and agility
- tù兔sǐ死quǎn犬jī饥loyal subordinate neglected after enemy dealt with
- tù兔sǐ死hú狐bēi悲，，wù物shāng伤qí其lèi类grieve for a comrade's misfortune
- tù兔sǐ死gǒu狗pēng烹discard loyal helpers once no longer needed
- tù兔quē缺wū乌chén沉time flies quickly
- tù兔kuí葵yàn燕mài麦desolate and barren landscape
- tù兔jiǎo角niú牛yì翼utterly illogical or impossible
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Open the tool →Questions about 兔死狐悲
What does 兔死狐悲 mean?
兔死狐悲 (tù sǐ hú bēi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to grieve over the death of a comrade or a person of one's own kind, realizing that one might suffer the same fate; to lament a common lot”.
How do you pronounce 兔死狐悲?
兔死狐悲 is pronounced tù sǐ hú bēi in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 兔死狐悲 literally mean?
Literally, 兔死狐悲 means “Hare dies, fox grieves”. It is used to mean “to grieve over the death of a comrade or a person of one's own kind, realizing that one might suffer the same fate; to lament a common lot”.
Where does 兔死狐悲 come from?
兔死狐悲 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 兔死狐悲?
兔子死了，狐狸感到悲伤。比喻因同类的死亡而感到悲伤。