打草惊蛇 (dá) — to inadvertently alert an enemy or opponent (by acting prematurely); to punish someone as a warning to others
Definition
A chengyu meaning to alert the enemy by acting prematurely — 'stir up the grass and scare the snake.' It warns against rash moves that give away your plan. The secondary 'punish one to warn others' sense is unrelated and best learned later.
idiom
to inadvertently alert an enemy or opponent (by acting prematurely)to punish someone as a warning to others
Examples
- ，打草惊蛇。Jǐng fāng jué dìng zàn shí bù xíng dòng, yǐ miǎn dá.The police decided not to act for now, so as not to alert the suspects prematurely.
- ，打草惊蛇，。Tā zhè cì yán lì chǔ fèn le yí gè wéi guī yuán gōng, mù dì shì dá, jǐng shì qí tā rén.He severely punished one violator this time, aiming to serve as a warning to others.
- 打草惊蛇，。Zài diào chá jiē duàn qiān wàn bù néng dá, fǒu zé zuì fàn huì huǐ miè zhèng jù.During the investigation, you must not alert the criminal; otherwise they will destroy the evidence.
Appears in
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