魔高一丈 (mó gāo yī zhàng) — the evil is one zhang higher (than the good); the opposing force is much stronger than expected
Definition
A chengyu meaning 'the opposing evil force is one zhang taller' — i.e. the adversary is stronger than you expect, so never underestimate it. Pairs with 道高一尺 (the dào / good is only one chi taller), the older half of the saying.
idiom
the evil is one zhang higher (than the good)the opposing force is much stronger than expected
Examples
- ，魔高一丈，。Wǒ men yào xiǎo xīn, mó gāo yī zhàng, duì shǒu bǐ wǒ men xiǎng xiàng de qiáng dà.We must be careful — the opposing force is much stronger than we imagined.
- ，魔高一丈，。Suī rán wǒ men jìn bù hěn kuài, dàn mó gāo yī zhàng, kùn nan zǒng shì gèng duō.Although we are making fast progress, the obstacles always seem to grow even faster.
- ，魔高一丈，。Bié gāo xìng tài zǎo, mó gāo yī zhàng, hòu miàn hái yǒu gèng dà de tiǎo zhàn.Don't celebrate too early — the evil is one zhang higher; there are even bigger challenges ahead.
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