📖 Meaning
This idiom uses the metaphor of hunting dogs that go hungry after the rabbits they chased are eliminated. It means that after enemies are defeated and the crisis passes, capable and loyal people who contributed to the victory are no longer valued or employed. It warns about how rulers tend to discard their useful subjects once those subjects are no longer needed.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom derives from the famous historical allusion of the Spring and Autumn period, when Fan Li warned his fellow minister Wen Zhong after they helped King Goujian of Yue defeat the state of Wu. Fan Li referenced the saying that when the birds are gone the good bow is stored away, and when the cunning rabbit dies the running dog is cooked, cautioning that the king was a man to share hardship with but not prosperity. The expression '兔死犬饥' is a variant of this idea, conveying that those who serve faithfully in times of danger are often abandoned once the threat is gone.
💡 Example Usage
历代开国功臣多有兔死犬饥之叹。
Throughout history, founding ministers have often lamented being discarded like hungry hounds after the enemy was defeated.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 兔死犬饥
- Pinyin: tù sǐ quǎn jī
- Literal Translation: rabbit dies, dog hungers
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4