📖 Meaning
Literally meaning 'using a shrimp to catch a soft-shelled turtle,' this idiom is a metaphor for taking advantage of others or profiting at someone else's expense. It implies gaining a benefit through a small sacrifice while exploiting another party.
📜 Origin Story
No definitive literary source is recorded for this idiom. It draws on the common fishing practice of using shrimp as bait to catch soft-shelled turtles (鳖), a staple of Chinese cuisine and folk life. The expression likely arose in vernacular storytelling and everyday speech, where it was adopted as a vivid metaphor for exploiting others for personal gain. It remains in colloquial use.
💡 Example Usage
他做生意总爱将虾钓鳖，占了别人不少便宜。
He always takes advantage of others in business, profiting quite a bit at their expense.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 将虾钓鳖
- Pinyin: jiāng xiā diào biē
- Literal Translation: use, shrimp, catch, soft-shelled turtle
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4