provoke someone powerful; offend one's superior
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
to provoke someone powerful; to beard the lion in his den; to offend one's superior
formalLiterally means "to break ground on the head of Tai Sui (the God of Earth)". In Chinese folk religion, Tai Sui is a powerful deity, and breaking ground on his head is considered extremely audacious and dangerous. This idiom is used to describe the act of recklessly offending a powerful figure. 参看【太岁】.
Nǐ你
jìng竟
gǎn敢
zài在
tài太
suì岁
tóu头
shàng上
dòng动
tǔ土
，
bù不
xiǎng想
huó活
le了
ma吗
？
How dare you beard the lion in his den—don't you want to live anymore?
Tā他
zhī知
dào道
dé得
zuì罪
nà那
wèi位
dà大
rén人
wù物
děng等
yú于
zài在
tài太
suì岁
tóu头
shàng上
dòng动
tǔ土
。
He knew that offending that important figure was equivalent to provoking someone powerful.
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Shuí谁
gǎn敢
zài在
zǒng总
jīng经
lǐ理
tài太
suì岁
tóu头
shàng上
dòng动
tǔ土
？
Who dares to challenge the general manager's authority?