CHENGYU
狐假虎威(hú jiǎ hǔ wēi)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary
- Source:
- 《战国策·楚策一》
MEANING
- Literal
- the fox borrows the tiger's might
- Figurative meaning
- to bully others through borrowed power
ORIGIN STORY
A captured fox persuaded the tiger to walk behind it, claiming the animals feared the fox itself. All the creatures fled — from the tiger, not the fox.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to ride on someone's coattails”
EXAMPLES
他只是狐假虎威，自己没什么本事。Tā zhǐ shì hú jiǎ hǔ wēi, zìjǐ méi shénme běnshi.HSK6
He only bullies through borrowed power; he has no real ability.
那些人狐假虎威，仗着老板欺负同事。Nà xiē rén hú jiǎ hǔ wēi, zhàng zhe lǎobǎn qīfu tóngshì.HSK6
Those people lean on the boss's authority to bully their colleagues.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It always implies unearned, abusive power — not legitimate delegation.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-14
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01