火中取栗 — “To be exploited by someone”
火中取栗 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be exploited by someone”. To do a dangerous or unpleasant task for someone else's benefit and gain nothing from it; to be a cat's paw. Literally, “To fetch chestnuts from the fire”.
火中取栗 Pronunciation and Pinyin
火中取栗 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 火中取栗
Origin and Story of 火中取栗
Once upon a time, a monkey and a cat saw chestnuts roasting in a farmer's courtyard.
The monkey's mouth watered with desire, so he asked the cat if it liked chestnuts. The cat expressed its wish to eat them.
The monkey then told the cat to fetch the chestnuts from the hot pan while the owner was away.
The cat, enduring the heat, took out the chestnuts one by one. Meanwhile, the monkey happily ate them, one after another, from the side.
Idioms Related to 火中取栗
Synonyms of 火中取栗
Antonyms of 火中取栗
More idioms starting with 火
- huǒ火shàng上jiā加yóu油add fuel to the fire
- huǒ火shàng上nòng弄bīng冰doomed to fail
- huǒ火shàng上nòng弄bīng冰líng凌extremely easy to accomplish
- huǒ火shàng上nòng弄xuě雪vanishes quickly and effortlessly
- huǒ火shàng上jiāo浇yóu油aggravate a situation
- huǒ火shàng上tiān添yóu油make a bad situation worse
- huǒ火sǎn伞zhāng张scorching sun overhead
- huǒ火sǎn伞gāo高zhāng张scorching sun like a fiery umbrella
- huǒ火guāng光zhú烛tiān天Raging flames light up the sky
- huǒ火mào冒sān三zhàng丈to fly into a towering rage
- huǒ火mào冒sān三chǐ尺to be in a towering rage
- huǒ火liè列xīng星tún屯magnificent military encampment
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Open the tool →Questions about 火中取栗
What does 火中取栗 mean?
火中取栗 (huǒ zhōng qǔ lì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be exploited by someone”.
How do you pronounce 火中取栗?
火中取栗 is pronounced huǒ zhōng qǔ lì in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 火中取栗 literally mean?
Literally, 火中取栗 means “to fetch chestnuts from the fire”. It is used to mean “to be exploited by someone”.
Where does 火中取栗 come from?
火中取栗 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to modern Chinese. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 火中取栗?
偷取炉中烤熟的栗子。比喻受人利用，冒险出力却一无所得。