蚂蚁缘槐 — “Ants climbing a pagoda tree”
蚂蚁缘槐 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be conceited or self-important, often within a limited sphere, implying a narrow perspective or delusions of grandeur; to have an inflated sense of one's own importance”. Literally, “Ants climbing a pagoda tree”.
蚂蚁缘槐 Pronunciation and Pinyin
蚂蚁缘槐 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 蚂蚁缘槐
Origin and Story of 蚂蚁缘槐
The idiom originates from a Tang Dynasty legend. A wandering knight named Chunyu Fen from Dongping County fell asleep under an ancient pagoda tree south of his home.
In his dream, he became the South Branch Prefect of the Huai'an Kingdom. The king married his little princess to him, and he lived a very happy life for 20 years in officialdom.
Later, due to an invasion by the Tanluo Kingdom, he failed in defense and was banished from the Huai'an Kingdom by the king.
Upon waking, he discovered that the Huai'an Kingdom was merely an ant hole beneath the pagoda tree.
Idioms Related to 蚂蚁缘槐
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Open the tool →Questions about 蚂蚁缘槐
What does 蚂蚁缘槐 mean?
蚂蚁缘槐 (mǎ yǐ yuán huái) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be conceited or self-important, often within a limited sphere, implying a narrow perspective or delusions of grandeur; to have an inflated sense of one's own importance”.
How do you pronounce 蚂蚁缘槐?
蚂蚁缘槐 is pronounced mǎ yǐ yuán huái in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 蚂蚁缘槐 literally mean?
Literally, 蚂蚁缘槐 means “Ants climbing a pagoda tree”. It is used to mean “to be conceited or self-important, often within a limited sphere, implying a narrow perspective or delusions of grandeur; to have an inflated sense of one's own importance”.
Where does 蚂蚁缘槐 come from?
蚂蚁缘槐 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to modern Chinese. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 蚂蚁缘槐?
缘：沿，顺着。蚂蚁沿着槐树上下爬。比喻自以为了不起。