蹊田夺牛 — “To punish a minor offense with excessive severity”

蹊田夺牛 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to punish a minor offense with excessive severity”. To impose a disproportionately harsh penalty, similar to confiscating an ox just because it trampled on a field. Literally, “Tread on a field, seize the ox”.

Frequency

蹊田夺牛 Pronunciation and Pinyin

蹊田夺牛 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
蹊	qī	17	a small path or approach
田	tián	5	cultivated field
夺	duó	6	seize, snatch, or win
牛	niú	4	Ox, awesome, or stubborn

Example Sentence with 蹊田夺牛

仅仅因为一个小小的疏忽就扣除他全部奖金，这样的处理方式未免有些蹊田夺牛

To deduct his entire bonus merely for a minor oversight, such a handling method is somewhat like 'confiscating the ox for treading on the field' – a disproportionate punishment.

Origin and Story of 蹊田夺牛

During the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Ling of Chen was debauched and immoral, and was eventually assassinated by the high official Xia Zhengshu.

King Zhuang of Chu, in the name of upholding justice, dispatched troops to attack the state of Chen. He killed Xia Zhengshu and then prepared to annex Chen.

However, the high official Shen Shu believed that King Zhuang of Chu's actions were excessive. He argued that it was like someone confiscating another person's ox simply because it had trampled on their field – such an action was unreasonable and disproportionate to the offense.