How do you pronounce 作茧自缚?

作茧自缚 is pronounced zuò jiǎn zì fù in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 作茧自缚 literally mean?

Literally, 作茧自缚 means “Spin a cocoon to bind oneself”. It is used to mean “to spin a cocoon around oneself”.

Where does 作茧自缚 come from?

作茧自缚 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 作茧自缚?

蚕吐丝作茧，把自己裹在里面。比喻做了某件事，结果使自己受困。也比喻自己给自己找麻烦。

作茧自缚 — “To spin a cocoon around oneself”

作茧自缚 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to spin a cocoon around oneself”. To be caught in one's own trap; to bring trouble upon oneself by one's own actions. Literally, “Spin a cocoon to bind oneself”.

Frequency

作茧自缚 Pronunciation and Pinyin

作zuò
茧jiǎn
自zì
缚fù

作茧自缚 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
作	zuò	7	to do, make, or act
茧	jiǎn	9	cocoon or callus
自	zì	6	from, self, naturally
缚	fù	13	bind, tie, or restrain

Example Sentence with 作茧自缚

他总是喜欢把简单的事情复杂化，结果常常作茧自缚，弄得自己骑虎难下。

He always likes to complicate simple matters, often ending up caught in his own trap and finding himself in a difficult position.

Origin and Story of 作茧自缚

Once upon a time, there was a couplet based on deconstructing characters. The first line was: "鸿 (hóng) is a bird by the river," and the second line was: "蚕 (cán) is an insect under the sky."

The characters '天' (tiān, sky) and '虫' (chóng, insect) combine to form '蚕'.

Silkworms are small green worms with plump bodies, spending all day eating mulberry leaves. After about a month, the silkworm spins a cocoon and traps itself inside. Then, after another month, it transforms into a moth.

People use this analogy to refer to situations where one brings trouble upon oneself.

Idioms Related to 作茧自缚

Synonyms of 作茧自缚

Antonyms of 作茧自缚

jià嫁huò祸yú于rén人shift blame onto others

More idioms starting with 作

Questions about 作茧自缚

What does 作茧自缚 mean?: 作茧自缚 (zuò jiǎn zì fù) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to spin a cocoon around oneself”.
How do you pronounce 作茧自缚?: 作茧自缚 is pronounced zuò jiǎn zì fù in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 作茧自缚 literally mean?: Literally, 作茧自缚 means “Spin a cocoon to bind oneself”. It is used to mean “to spin a cocoon around oneself”.
Where does 作茧自缚 come from?: 作茧自缚 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 作茧自缚?: 蚕吐丝作茧，把自己裹在里面。比喻做了某件事，结果使自己受困。也比喻自己给自己找麻烦。

Copy the pinyin for 作茧自缚 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.