take advantage of sb.'s misfortune; hit a man when he is down
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
to take advantage of someone's precarious situation; to exploit someone's weakness in a moment of crisis
formalA strongly negative idiom describing unethical, opportunistic behavior. It carries a sense of moral condemnation.
Tā他
yīn因
gōng公
sī司
dǎo倒
bì闭
jí急
xū需
xiàn现
jīn金
，
duì对
shǒu手
què却
chéng乘
rén人
zhī之
wēi危
，
yǐ以
jí极
dī低
jià价
gé格
shōu收
gòu购
le了
tā他
de的
zhuān专
lì利
。
His company went bankrupt and he needed cash urgently, but his rival took advantage of his misfortune and bought his patents at a rock-bottom price.
Zhēn真
zhèng正
de的
péng朋
you友
jué绝
duì不
bù会
huì在
zài你
nǐ困
kùn难
nan时
shí乘
chéng人
rén之
zhī危
，
wēi而
ér会
huì伸
shēn出
chū援
yuán手
。
A true friend would never take advantage of your difficulties but would offer a helping hand instead.
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Lì利
yòng用
zāi灾
qíng情
hǒng哄
tái抬
wù物
jià价
，
zhè这
zhǒng种
xíng行
wéi为
shì是
diǎn典
xíng型
de的
chéng乘
rén人
zhī之
wēi危
。
Price gouging during a disaster is a classic example of taking advantage of people's misfortune.