DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

狐假虎威

Mandarin · pinyin hú jiǎ hǔ wēi

lit. the fox exploits the tiger's might (idiom); fig. to use powerful connections to intimidate people

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

狐: hú · fox
假: jiǎ · falsehood, deception; vacation
虎: hǔ · tiger; brave, fierce; surname
威: wēi · pomp, power; powerful; dominate

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

2–3–3–1 · hu2 jia3 hu3 wei1

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

4character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

狐假虎威 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

wu4 gaa2 fu2 wai1

Cantonese word readings for 狐假虎威. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(figurative, derogatory) to use powerful connections to intimidate people

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack