📖 Meaning
This idiom means to forget the tool or means once the goal has been achieved, just as one forgets the snare after catching the rabbit. It conveys the same Daoist concept as 'forgetting the fish trap after catching the fish'—words and instruments are merely vehicles for meaning, to be discarded once understanding is attained. In common usage it can also describe ingratitude toward those who helped one succeed.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the 'Waiwu' (External Things) chapter of the Zhuangzi, a foundational Daoist text compiled during the Warring States period. Zhuangzi wrote, 'The snare exists for the sake of catching rabbits; once the rabbit is caught, the snare is forgotten.' The metaphor illustrates the Daoist principle that language and tools are only means to an end—once the underlying truth or goal is grasped, the means can be set aside. The Song dynasty poet and theorist Jiang Kui (姜夔) later invoked the phrase in his 'Baishi Daoren Shi Shuo' to discuss poetic expression.
💡 Example Usage
他功成名就后便得兔忘蹄，再不提当年引荐他的恩师。
After achieving fame and success, he forgot the very means that got him there, never again mentioning the mentor who had once recommended him.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 得兔忘蹄
- Pinyin: dé tù wàng tí
- Literal Translation: obtain, rabbit, forget, snare
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4