zhìshǒukěrè

炙手可热

Word · Idiom

extremely powerful and arrogant; red-hot

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

1 sense · 3 examples
1.

idiom

so hot that one's hand burns when approaching; metaphor for being extremely powerful and arrogant, holding great sway

literary

Originally described physical heat; now primarily used figuratively to describe people in positions of overwhelming power, often with negative connotations of arrogance or inaccessibility. Derived from Du Fu's Tang Dynasty poetry describing the powerful minister Cui Shi.

Tā他
zài在
gōng公
sī司
zhì炙
shǒu手
kě可
rè热
 ,
méi没
rén人
gǎn敢
dé得
zuì罪
tā他
 。

He is extremely powerful in the company; nobody dares to offend him.

Zhè这
wèi位
zhì炙
shǒu手
kě可
rè热
de的
míng明
xīng星
xī吸
yǐn引
le了
suǒ所
yǒu有
méi媒
tǐ体
de的
zhù注
yì意
 。

This red-hot celebrity has captured the attention of all the media.

Show 1 more example
Dāng当
nián年
tā他
zài在
zhèng政
tán坛
zhì炙
shǒu手
kě可
rè热
 ,
rú如
jīn今
què却
mò默
mò默
wú无
wén闻
 。

Back then he was extremely powerful in political circles, but now he is completely unknown.