📖 Meaning
This idiom describes someone who usurps authority and monopolizes power to act in a domineering and tyrannical manner. It carries a strongly negative connotation, condemning those who hoard and abuse their position for personal gain. It is typically applied to powerful officials or figures who dominate others through intimidation.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom does not have a single documented classical source or origin story. It combines the characters 摄 (to seize or usurp), 威 (authority and awe), 擅 (to monopolize or appropriate), and 势 (power and influence). The phrase has historically been used in critiques of powerful ministers and officials who dominated their courts and bullied their peers. It vividly depicts the act of hoarding authority and wielding it tyrannically. The idiom carries a strongly negative connotation, condemning the abuse and usurpation of power.
💡 Example Usage
他在朝中摄威擅势，朝臣无不畏惧。
He seized authority and monopolized power in the court, and every minister feared him.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 摄威擅势
- Pinyin: shè wēi shàn shì
- Literal Translation: seize authority, monopolize power
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4