📖 Meaning
Literally meaning 'playing with weapons in a shallow pond,' this idiom was historically a dismissive term for popular uprisings or rebellions by common people. It now also refers to instigating a military mutiny or armed insurrection. The phrase carries a tone of trivializing the seriousness of the unrest.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Book of Han (汉书), in the biography of Gong Sui (龚遂), an official during the Western Han dynasty. When reporting on a peasant revolt to Emperor Xuan, Gong Sui explained that the people were driven by hunger and cold while officials showed no concern for their suffering, leading them to rebel. He described the situation as the emperor's own children 'playing with the emperor's weapons in a shallow pond,' downplaying the threat and attributing blame to negligent governance rather than the people themselves. This sympathetic framing distinguished Gong Sui as a compassionate official who sought to address root causes rather than suppress symptoms.
💡 Example Usage
章炳麟斥责袁世凯部下不过是潢池弄兵之徒，难成大器。
Zhang Binglin dismissed Yuan Shikai's subordinates as mere rebels toying with arms in a shallow pond, incapable of achieving anything great.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 潢池弄兵
- Pinyin: huáng chí nòng bīng
- Literal Translation: pond, pool, toy with, weapons
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4