狐假虎威 (hú jiǎ hǔ wēi) — to bully others by flaunting powerful connections; (fig.) to use someone else's authority to intimidate
Definition
A chengyu from a fable: a fox walks boldly behind a tiger, and other animals flee — assuming the tiger's protection. It means using someone else's power to bully people, not your own strength.
idiom
to bully others by flaunting powerful connections(fig.) to use someone else's authority to intimidate
Examples
- 狐假虎威，。Tā zhàng zhe fù qīn de quán shì dào chù hú jiǎ hǔ wēi, dà jiā dōu hěn tǎo yàn tā.He bullies people everywhere by flaunting his father's power, and everyone dislikes him.
- 狐假虎威。Zhè zhǒng hú jiǎ hǔ wēi de xíng wéi zài zhí chǎng zhōng bìng bù shǎo jiàn.This kind of behavior of using someone else's authority to intimidate is not uncommon in the workplace.
- 狐假虎威，。Bié yǐ wéi yǒu hòu tái jiù néng hú jiǎ hǔ wēi, chí zǎo huì lòu xiàn de.Don't think you can bully others just because you have connections; you'll be exposed sooner or later.
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