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作茧自缚 (zuò jiǎn zì fú) — (idiom) to be caught in one's own trap; to hoist with one's own petard; to bring trouble on oneself

Definition

A chengyu for harming oneself by one's own actions — literally 'spinning a cocoon to bind oneself.' Used to warn that short-sighted or self-defeating choices backfire on the person who made them.

idiom
to be caught in one's own trapto hoist with one's own petardto bring trouble on oneself

Examples

  • ，作茧自缚，。
    Tā wèi le yǎn qián lì yì shuō huǎng, jié guǒ zuò jiǎn zì fú, lián péng you dōu shī qù le.
    He lied for short-term gain and ended up caught in his own web, losing even his friends.
  • ，作茧自缚，。
    Gōng sī gǎo tài duō tiáo tiáo kuàng kuàng, fǎn ér zuò jiǎn zì fú, yuán gōng dōu méi fǎ líng huó gōng zuò.
    The company created so many rigid rules that it trapped itself — employees couldn't work flexibly anymore.
  • ，作茧自缚。
    Zuò jué cè qián duō tīng tīng bié rén yì jiàn, miǎn de zuò jiǎn zì fú hòu huǐ mò jí.
    Listen to others before making decisions, or you'll end up tying yourself in knots and regret it too late.

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
乍
乍zhà作zuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 亻 comes from 人, meaning 'person', and the right side 乍 gives the sound.

Open 作 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 繭; 茧 is its simplified writing.

  • 糸糸mìsilk
  • 虫虫chónginsect
  • 黹黹zhǐneedlework

The traditional form 繭 combines 糸 (silk), 虫 (insect), and 黹 (needlework); the simplified 茧 is a later shorthand.

Open 茧 →

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

自 originally drew a nose. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write 自, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 自 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 縛; 缚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìrope
Sound part声符shēngfú
尃
尃fū縛fù
Same sound today

The traditional form 縛 combines 糸 (rope) with 尃 as a sound part; the simplified 缚 is a shorthand.

Open 缚 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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