📖 Meaning
Literally 'tiger parties and fox companions.' It refers to associates who are both fierce and cunning, like tigers and foxes. The idiom describes a group of vicious and deceitful people who band together.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from Ming Dynasty playwright Kang Hai's drama 'The Wolf of Zhongshan' (中山狼), specifically in the second act. In the passage, a character remarks that behind a refined brocade bag of poems, there may hide vicious and cunning companions like tigers and foxes. The metaphor uses the tiger for ferocity and the fox for cunning, together characterizing a group of wicked, deceitful associates. The work itself is a famous allegorical tale about the treachery of the Zhongshan wolf and the folly of misplaced compassion.
💡 Example Usage
他整日与那些虎党狐侪混在一起，最终也走上了犯罪的道路。
He spent his days mingling with those vicious and cunning associates, and eventually went down the path of crime himself.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 虎党狐侪
- Pinyin: hǔ dǎng hú chái
- Literal Translation: tiger, party, fox, companions
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4