📖 Meaning
Literally “hot enough to burn one's hand,” this idiom describes a person whose power and influence are so overwhelming that even approaching them feels dangerous, inspiring fear and awe in others. It is a synonym of the more common idiom “炙手可热” (zhì shǒu kě rè), used to characterize a formidable, intimidatingly powerful figure.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom appears in “开天传信记” (Records of Things Heard in the Kaiyuan–Tianbao Eras), written by the Tang dynasty scholar Zheng Qi (郑棨). The text refers to Princess Anle (安乐公主), the youngest sister of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, who allied herself with the powerful Wei clan faction. Her influence became so great that the passage says she was “hot enough to burn one's hand, so that people on the road feared her” (“热可炙手，道路惧焉”). The phrase was thus coined to depict a figure whose overwhelming power made even onlookers tremble.
💡 Example Usage
那位权臣热可炙手，满朝文武莫不畏惧。
That powerful minister was hot enough to burn one's hand, so that every official in the court feared him.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 热可炙手
- Pinyin: rè kě zhì shǒu
- Literal Translation: hot, can, scorch, hand
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4