📖 Meaning
A metaphor for people who commit evil deeds while relying on the protection of powerful patrons. Just as wasps nesting in the grain god's temple and rats in the earth god's shrine are left unharmed because of the sanctity of their shelter, villains find safety behind influential figures. It describes those who exploit their connection to authority to act with impunity.
📜 Origin Story
From the Han dynasty text Han Shi Wai Zhuan (韩诗外传) by the scholar Han Ying, Volume 8. The original passage observes that wasps in the Ji shrine—the temple of the grain god—are not attacked, and rats in the She shrine—the temple of the earth god—are not smoked out. This is not because these creatures possess any divine power of their own, but because they take shelter in sacred places that people dare not violate. The observation became a vivid metaphor for wrongdoers who escape punishment by hiding behind the powerful institutions or figures that shelter them.
💡 Example Usage
这些稷蜂社鼠倚仗权贵的庇护横行乡里，百姓敢怒不敢言。
Like wasps in a shrine and rats in a temple, these scoundrels run rampant in the countryside under the protection of the powerful, while the common people seethe in silence, afraid to speak out.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 稷蜂社鼠
- Pinyin: jì fēng shè shǔ
- Literal Translation: grain god, wasp, earth shrine, rat
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4