CHENGYU
打草惊蛇(dǎ cǎo jīng shé)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral
- Source:
- 宋·郑文宝《南唐近事》
MEANING
- Literal
- to beat the grass and startle the snake
- Figurative meaning
- to alert the target by careless action; to tip one's hand
ORIGIN STORY
A magistrate named Wang Lu received a complaint against his clerk for corruption. Reading the charges that mirrored his own crimes, he wrote on the document: "You beat the grass, but I, the snake, am startled."
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to tip someone off”
EXAMPLES
先别声张，小心打草惊蛇。Xiān bié shēngzhāng, xiǎoxīn dǎ cǎo jīng shé.HSK6
Keep it quiet for now — do not beat the grass and startle the snake.
警察秘密调查，怕打草惊蛇。Jǐngchá mìmì diàochá, pà dǎ cǎo jīng shé.HSK6
The police investigate in secret, afraid of startling the snake in the grass.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It is about alerting a target prematurely, not about courage or noise itself.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01