张牙舞爪

張牙舞爪

zhāngyá-wǔzhǎo

idiom #30,876

Meanings

HSK 5

他一喝酒就张牙舞爪地骂人。

Tā yì hējiǔ jiù zhāngyá-wǔzhǎo de mà rén.

The moment he drinks, he starts yelling and lashing out at people.

HSK 7-9

那只老虎张牙舞爪，十分吓人。

Nà zhī lǎohǔ zhāngyá-wǔzhǎo, shífēn xiàrén.

The tiger bared its fangs and claws - truly terrifying.

memory

Literal picture of a predator - mouth open, claws out. Easy to visualize, and it maps cleanly onto any blustering, aggressive person.

张 zhāng

牙 yá

舞 wǔ

爪 zhǎo