📖 Meaning
Describes someone with piercing, predatory eyes and a ruthless, cunning demeanor. The phrase evokes the image of an eagle locking onto its prey and a wolf warily looking back, suggesting a person who is dangerous and not to be trusted.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from Chapter 91 of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' (三国演义) by Ming dynasty author Luo Guanzhong. It was used to describe Sima Yi (司马懿), a brilliant strategist of the Cao Wei state during the Three Kingdoms period. In Chinese physiognomy, the ability to turn one's head like a wolf while keeping the body still was considered a sign of treachery. The phrase warned that such a person should never be given military authority, as they would eventually pose a great threat to the nation.
💡 Example Usage
他鹰视狼顾，城府极深，身边的人无不敬畏三分。
He had the predatory gaze of an eagle and the wariness of a wolf, with such deep cunning that everyone around him regarded him with a mixture of awe and fear.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 鹰视狼顾
- Pinyin: yīng shì láng gù
- Literal Translation: eagle, gaze, wolf, glance
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4