📖 Meaning
A metaphor for actions that contradict one's purpose, achieving the opposite of the intended result. Just as using meat to chase away flies would only attract more flies, it describes self-defeating behavior where the means chosen inherently undermines the goal.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from a letter by Ming dynasty Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng titled 'Reply to Zhou Qianming of the Southern Academy.' Zhang criticized officials who misunderstood the meaning of leniency, indulging in lax and indulgent governance to win popular praise, which led to corrupt scholarly habits and deteriorating customs. When someone attempted to remedy the situation, they resorted to empty rhetoric and opened the door to evil practices instead. Zhang compared such counterproductive efforts to 'driving away flies with meat' and 'putting out fire with firewood.'
💡 Example Usage
靠纵容来纠正错误，无异于以肉驱蝇。
Trying to correct mistakes through indulgence is no different from driving away flies with meat.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 以肉驱蝇
- Pinyin: yǐ ròu qū yíng
- Literal Translation: use, meat, drive away, flies
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4