📖 Meaning
A rat builds its nest beneath the earth-god shrine so that people dare not dig it out. It is a metaphor for wicked people who rely on powerful connections to bully and oppress others.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Shen Yue's 'Treatise on Favorites' (恩悻传论) written during the Liang dynasty of the Southern Dynasties period. The full couplet reads '鼠凭社贵，狐藉虎威'—rats rely on the shrine's prestige, foxes borrow the tiger's might. Shen Yue used it to criticize unworthy courtiers who gained influence by attaching themselves to those in power rather than through their own merit.
💡 Example Usage
那个贪官鼠凭社贵，欺压百姓无人敢管。
That corrupt official, relying on his powerful backers, oppressed the common people with no one daring to intervene.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 鼠凭社贵
- Pinyin: shǔ píng shè guì
- Literal Translation: rat, rely on, shrine, noble
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4