仗势欺人

仗勢欺人
zhàngshìqīrén
idiom #35,348

Meanings

  1. 1 to use one's power to bully others
  2. 2 to throw one's weight around
  3. 3 to take advantage of a position of power to oppress people

Examples

Tā zhàngshìqīrén, jiéguǒ bèi jǔbào le.
He bullied people using his connections, and ended up being reported.
Zuòrén bù néng zhàngshìqīrén.
One shouldn't throw one's weight around to bully others.

Tips

usage
仗势欺人 literally 'lean on power to bully people' — used to criticize a person who exploits a position (a connected boss, a rich relative, a high office) to push others around. Strongly negative. Compare 狐假虎威 (the fox borrows the tiger's power), which adds the nuance that the bully's authority is borrowed, not their own.

Stroke Order

zhàng
shì
rén