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任人宰割 (rèn rén zǎi gē) — (idiom) to be left to be bullied and trampled upon, powerless to resist

Definition

Strong, written idiom meaning 'to be at others' mercy, trampled upon' — a country, group, or person with no power to resist. More literary and forceful than everyday phrases like 欺负.

idiom
to be left to be bullied and trampled upon, powerless to resist

Examples

  • 任人宰割，。
    Wǒ men bù néng rèn rén zǎi gē, bì xū zhàn qǐ lái fǎn kàng.
    We cannot let ourselves be trampled upon; we must stand up and resist.
  • 任人宰割，。
    Ruò guó zài lì shǐ shàng cháng cháng rèn rén zǎi gē, rèn rén bō xuē.
    Weak countries in history often allowed themselves to be trampled upon and exploited.
  • 任人宰割，。
    Tā bù xiǎng zài rèn rén zǎi gē, jué dìng cí zhí chuàng yè.
    He no longer wanted to be a doormat and decided to quit his job and start his own business.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
壬
壬rén任rèn
Same sound today

任 pairs 亻, a person, with 壬, which may picture a shoulder pole turned sideways.

Open 任 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 宀宀miánhouse
  • 乂乂yìto govern

The lower part of 宰 comes from 乂, 'to govern'; with 宀, 'house', it makes a house of government.

Open 宰 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
刂Written in full as刀dāo
Sound part声符shēngfú
害
害hài割gē
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

割 combines 害, which provides the sound, with 刂, the knife form of 刀, to show cutting.

Open 割 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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