勾心斗角 (gōu xīn dòu jiǎo) — (idiom) to engage in petty scheming and infighting; to maneuver against each other
Definition
A negative-evaluative idiom meaning 'to scheme and fight against each other,' usually about people in the same group (workplace, politics, family). It carries strong criticism — the actions are petty and hidden, not open conflict.
idiom
to engage in petty scheming and infightingto maneuver against each other
Examples
- 勾心斗角，。Gōng sī lǐ gōu xīn dòu jiǎo de xiàn xiàng hěn yán zhòng, dǎo zhì xǔ duō yōu xiù yuán gōng dōu lí kāi le.The infighting in the company is so severe that many excellent employees have left.
- 勾心斗角，。Zhèng tán de gōu xīn dòu jiǎo ràng tā gǎn dào yàn juàn, zuì hòu jué dìng tuì chū xuǎn jǔ.The political scheming made him weary, and he eventually decided to withdraw from the election.
- ，勾心斗角。Tā men biǎo miàn shàng kè kè qì qì, àn dì lǐ què yì zhí zài gōu xīn dòu jiǎo.They act polite on the surface, but behind the scenes they are constantly scheming against each other.
Origin
Compound word构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate
Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.
“勾” and “斗” give hooking and contending, while “心” and “角” are the targets, together painting scheming conflict.
Appears in
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