CHENGYU
虎视眈眈(hǔ shì dān dān)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral, ominous
- Source:
- 《周易·颐》
MEANING
- Literal
- to glare like a tiger
- Figurative meaning
- to watch hungrily, ready to pounce
ORIGIN STORY
From the Book of Changes: "The tiger glares and glares, its desire pressing on." The doubled 眈眈 paints the fixed, hungry stare of a predator.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to eye something hungrily”
EXAMPLES
对手对我们的客户虎视眈眈。Duìshǒu duì wǒmen de kèhù hǔ shì dān dān.HSK6
Our rivals glare at our customers like tigers at prey.
几只大公司对这个市场虎视眈眈。Jǐ zhī dà gōngsī duì zhège shìchǎng hǔ shì dān dān.HSK6
Several big companies watch this market with hungry tiger eyes.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: The gaze is predatory and menacing — not mere curiosity or admiration.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
Tap a character to explore it
TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01