📖 Meaning
Literally meaning 'to place one's body in a tiger's mouth,' this idiom describes a situation of extreme and immediate danger. It conveys being in a perilous position where one's life or safety is gravely threatened, emphasizing the severity and urgency of the peril faced.
📜 Origin Story
No single definitive textual source is documented for this idiom; it draws upon classical Chinese beast metaphors common across dynastic histories and literary works. Tigers were among the most feared predators in ancient China, and the image of placing oneself near or within a tiger's mouth represented the ultimate expression of mortal danger. Similar imagery recurs in historical chronicles and classical fiction where officials, soldiers, or travelers confronted seemingly inescapable peril. The phrase encapsulates a recurring trope in Chinese storytelling in which characters face life-threatening circumstances with no guarantee of survival.
💡 Example Usage
探险队深入猛兽出没的丛林，身寄虎吻却依然奋勇前行。
The expedition ventured deep into a jungle teeming with wild beasts; though placing themselves in a tiger's mouth, they still pressed forward bravely.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 身寄虎吻
- Pinyin: shēn jì hǔ wěn
- Literal Translation: body, placed in, tiger's, mouth
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4