📖 Meaning
A metaphor describing a situation where local or regional forces grow stronger than the central authority, creating an imbalance that undermines overall governance. It warns of the danger when subordinate powers overshadow the core leadership. The imagery likens the state to a tree whose branches overpower a weakened trunk.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom draws on the classical Chinese political metaphor comparing the state to a tree, where the root and trunk represent the central government and the branches represent regional or subordinate powers. The concept reflects a deep concern in imperial political thought about the dangers of decentralized authority. Thinkers and officials across multiple dynasties warned that when local military and administrative powers grew too formidable, the center would lose control. The phrase encapsulates the strategic anxiety that appears in historical debates over how to balance central and regional strength.
💡 Example Usage
历代王朝多因强枝弱本而走向衰亡。
Throughout history, many dynasties declined because local powers grew stronger than the central authority.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 强枝弱本
- Pinyin: qiáng zhī ruò běn
- Literal Translation: strong, branch, weak, root
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4