knife and chopping block; metaphor for persecutor, oppressor
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
knife and chopping block; metaphor for persecutor or butcher
literaryClassical literary term used as a metaphor. The original phrase is "人为刀俎，我为鱼肉" (people are the knife and block, I am the fish and meat), meaning to be completely at the mercy of others.
Zài在
nà那
chǎng场
zhèng政
zhì治
dòu斗
zhēng争
zhōng中
，
tā他
shēn深
gǎn感
zì自
jǐ己
rén人
wéi为
dāo刀
zǔ俎
，
wǒ我
wéi为
yú鱼
ròu肉
。
In that political struggle, he deeply felt he was at the mercy of others, like fish on a chopping block.
Miàn面
duì对
qiáng强
dà大
de的
duì对
shǒu手
，
ruò弱
zhě者
rú如
tóng同
zhì置
yú于
dāo刀
zǔ俎
zhī之
shàng上
。
Facing a powerful opponent, the weak are like being placed on a chopping block.
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Zhè这
yī一
diǎn典
gù故
chū出
zì自
《
Shǐ史
Jì记
·
Xiàng项
Yǔ羽
Běn本
Jì纪
》
。
This allusion comes from 'Records of the Grand Historian: Annals of Xiang Yu'.