Definition
虎穴 literally means 'tiger's den', but it is also used figuratively to mean a dangerous or risky place. It often appears in literary or set-phrase contexts, most famously in the chengyu 不入虎穴，焉得虎子 ('nothing ventured, nothing gained'). While you can use it literally to talk about a tiger's den, in everyday conversation the figurative use is more common in written or formal language.
n.
tiger's dena dangerous or risky place
Examples
- 虎穴，。Tànxiǎnduì shēnrù hǔ, xúnzhǎo zhēnxī yàocái.The expedition went deep into the tiger's den to find rare medicinal herbs.
- 虎穴，。Nàge dìfang shì fànzuì fènzǐ de hǔ, fēicháng wēixiǎn.That place is a den of criminals, extremely dangerous.
- 虎穴，，。Bú rù hǔ, yān dé hǔ zǐ, yào xiǎng chénggōng bìxū màoxiǎn.Nothing ventured, nothing gained; to succeed you must take risks.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.