笑中有刀 — “To hide malicious intentions behind a friendly facade”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 笑中有刀?

形容对人外表和气，内心却十分阴险毒辣

笑中有刀 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to hide malicious intentions behind a friendly facade”. Outwardly amiable but inwardly treacherous; velvet paws hide sharp claws. Literally, “a knife in a smile”.

Frequency

笑中有刀 Pronunciation and Pinyin

笑中有刀 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
笑	xiào	10	smile, laugh, ridicule
中	zhōng	4	middle, in, China, hit, win
有	yǒu	6	to have or to exist
刀	dāo	2	knife

Example Sentence with 笑中有刀

他表面上对谁都客客气气，实则笑中有刀，你可得小心提防。

He is outwardly polite to everyone, but in reality, he hides malicious intentions behind a friendly facade; you must be careful and on guard against him.

Origin and Story of 笑中有刀

During the Tang Dynasty, the minister Li Yifu heard about a beautiful female prisoner. He instructed the jailer, Bi Zhengyi, to release her, and then took her for his own.

Minister Wang Yifang reported Bi Zhengyi's misconduct. In retaliation, Li Yifu forced Bi Zhengyi to commit suicide by hanging and furthermore slandered Wang Yifang before the emperor, resulting in Wang Yifang's dismissal and exile to a remote region.

Li Yifu, who appeared modest and amiable on the surface but secretly plotted against others, was a true embodiment of 'having a knife in one's smile' (笑中有刀).