foot soldier; pawn; cat's-paw; a person exploited by another
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
pawn; lackey; cat's-paw; a person used by another to do menial or risky tasks
derogatoryUsed metaphorically to describe someone who is exploited by others, often without realizing it, to achieve the exploiter's goals. It carries a strong derogatory connotation, implying that the person is insignificant, expendable, and lacks independent agency. Originated from ancient military/labor roles.
Tā他
bù不
guò过
shì是
dà大
rén人
wù物
men们
de的
mǎ马
qián前
zú卒
，
suǒ所
yǒu有
zāng脏
huó活
lèi累
huó活
dōu都
ràng让
tā他
gàn干
。
He is just a pawn for the big shots, doing all the dirty and hard work for them.
Bié别
bèi被
rén人
lì利
yòng用
le了
，
chéng成
le了
zhèng政
zhì治
dòu斗
zhēng争
de的
mǎ马
qián前
zú卒
。
Don't be exploited and become a pawn in the political struggle.
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Zài在
gōng公
sī司
lǐ里
，
tā他
gān甘
xīn心
zuò做
zǒng总
jīng经
lǐ理
de的
mǎ马
qián前
zú卒
，
háo毫
wú无
yuàn怨
yán言
。
In the company, he willingly acts as the general manager's lackey without complaint.
Zài在
zhè这
chǎng场
piàn骗
jú局
zhōng中
，
tā他
bèi被
dàng当
zuò作
mǎ马
qián前
zú卒
tuī推
dào到
le了
qián前
tái台
。
In this scam, he was used as a cat's-paw and pushed to the forefront.