CHENGYU
虎背熊腰(hǔ bèi xióng yāo)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral, descriptive
- Source:
- 元·无名氏《飞刀对箭》
MEANING
- Literal
- a tiger's back and a bear's waist
- Figurative meaning
- big and powerfully built
ORIGIN STORY
From a Yuan dynasty play: a character sizes up a stranger and corrects himself — "not a dog's back and donkey's waist, no — a tiger's back and a bear's waist!" It describes a powerful frame.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“built like an ox”
EXAMPLES
他虎背熊腰，一看就是运动员。Tā hǔ bèi xióng yāo, yí kàn jiù shì yùndòngyuán.HSK6
With a tiger's back and a bear's waist, he is clearly an athlete.
那个保安虎背熊腰，站在门口很有气势。Nà ge bǎoān hǔ bèi xióng yāo, zhàn zài ménkǒu hěn yǒu qìshì.HSK6
That guard, built like a bear, cuts an imposing figure at the gate.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It describes build only — strength is implied but not behavior or temper.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01