Chinese Idioms About Tigers
2022 is the Year of the Tiger, which starts on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, or the first of February in the Gregorian calendar. Tiger is the third animal zodiac in the 12 animal zodiac list. This year is the year of the water tiger, which comes every 60 years, as there are five types of tigers by elements (wood, water, metal, earth, fire).
There are many idioms in the Chinese language that you need to learn in Chinese classes. Here is a list of Chinese idioms about tigers:
卧虎藏龙
wò hǔ cáng long
Literal translation: crouching tiger hidden dragon
Meaning: hidden talent
马马虎虎
mǎ mǎ hu hu
Meaning: so-so, reckless
狼吞虎咽
láng tūn hǔ yàn
Literal translation: the wolf swallows and the tiger gulps
Meaning: eating furiously
调虎离山
diào hǔ lí shān
Literal translation: to bait the tiger to leave the mountain
Meaning: to trick someone to leave their position in order to perform an action
生龙活虎
shēng lóng huó hǔ
Literal translation: to be born a dragon and to live as a tiger
Meaning: lively and vigorous
虎口拔牙
hǔ kǒu bá yá
Literal translation: to extract teeth from a tiger’s mouth
Meaning: to do something very dangerous
龙争虎斗
lóng zhēng hǔ dòu
Literal translation: dragon and tiger fight
Meaning: a fiery competition
如虎添翼
rú hǔ tiān yì
Literal translation: like a tiger with wings
Meaning: people who become stronger with other’s help
谈虎色变
tán hǔ sè biàn
Literal translation: to change one’s color when talking about tigers
Meaning: to become anxious when talking about things one is scared of
前怕狼,后怕虎
qián pà láng, hòu pà hǔ
Literal translation: to be scared of wolves in the front and tigers at the back
Meaning: timid and worry too much
一山不藏二虎
yī shān bù cáng èr hǔ
Literal translation: one mountain does not hide two tigers
Meaning: two people who are not compatible
山上无老虎,猴子称大王
shān shàng wú lǎo hǔ, hóu zi chēng dà wáng
Literal translation: monkeys become kings as there are no tigers on the mountain
Meaning: ordinary people play big roles as there are no talents