📖 Meaning
To seize upon dangers and exploit gaps; to take risks and seize opportunities in treacherous situations. The term describes someone who ventures into perilous circumstances to take advantage of loopholes or weaknesses.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from the 'New Book of Tang' (《新唐书·刘栖楚传》), in the biography of Liu Qichu, a Tang dynasty official. The text describes Liu as having an eccentric and extreme temperament, daring to perform bizarre acts. He would 'ride danger and reach the gorge'—seizing risky opportunities without any regard for consequences or propriety. The '巇' refers specifically to treacherous mountain passes and perilous defiles, metaphorically denoting dangerous gaps one can exploit.
💡 Example Usage
他一贯乘险抵巇，专钻法律的空子谋取私利。
He has always taken risks and exploited loopholes, deliberately abusing legal gaps for personal gain.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 乘险抵巇
- Pinyin: chéng xiǎn dǐ xī
- Literal Translation: ride, danger, reach, gorge
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4