狐假虎威

Hú Jiǎ Hǔ Wēi

狐狸借老虎的威风吓唬别的动物。比喻依仗别人的势力欺负人。

A fox borrowing the tiger's fearsomeness — using someone else's power to scare or bully others.

yǒutiānlǎozàisēnlínzhuādàolezhīlizhǔnbèichīdiàolifēichángcōngmínghuāngmángdeshuō:“néngchīshìtiānpàiláizuòbǎishòuzhīwángdechīlejiùshìwéikàngtiānmìng。”

lǎotīngleyǒudiǎn怀huáiliyòushuō:“yàoshìxìnjiùgēndàosēnlínzǒuzǒukànkàndòngjiàndàodeyàngzijiùzhīdàole。”

lǎogēnzàilihòumiànqiánhòuzǒujìnsēnlíndòngmenyuǎnyuǎndekànjiànlǎodōuxiàdesànbēntáolideduìlǎoshuō:“kànmenshìshìdōu?”

lǎoxìnwéizhēngǎnzàichīlishígēnběnzhīdào——dòngmendeshì

jiǎwēizhèchéngjiùshìyòngláixíngróngxiējièzhebiéréndeliàngláixiàbiérénderén

One day, a tiger caught a fox in the forest and was ready to eat it. But the fox was clever. Calmly, it said, “You cannot eat me. The Emperor of Heaven sent me to be king of all beasts. To eat me is to defy the will of heaven.”

The tiger paused, unsure. The fox went on, “If you don't believe me, come walk with me through the forest. Watch how the other animals react when they see me.”

With the fox leading and the tiger following close behind, they walked into the woods. As soon as the animals spotted the tiger, they fled in every direction. The fox turned proudly and said, “See? They are terrified of me.”

The tiger believed him and dared not eat the fox. What the tiger didn't realize was this: the animals weren't afraid of the fox at all — they were afraid of the tiger behind it.

“A fox borrowing the tiger's might” describes anyone who throws their weight around by leaning on someone else's power.