打草惊蛇

打草驚蛇

dǎcǎo-jīngshé

idiom #17,078

Meanings

1 to inadvertently alert an enemy
2 to tip someone off by careless action
3 (lit.) to beat the grass and startle the snake

Characters

to hit; to beat

to startle; to alarm

Literally 'beat the grass, startle the snake' — your action against the grass alerts the hidden snake.

Examples

我们要小心行事，别打草惊蛇。

Wǒmen yào xiǎoxīn xíngshì, bié dǎcǎojīngshé.

We need to act carefully and not tip them off.

警方没有立刻逮捕他，怕打草惊蛇。

Jǐngfāng méiyǒu lìkè dàibǔ tā, pà dǎcǎojīngshé.

The police didn't arrest him immediately, fearing it would alert the others.

Tips

history

This idiom originates from a Tang Dynasty story about a corrupt official. When a neighboring official was punished for bribery, the corrupt official panicked and wrote: 'You only beat the grass, but the snake underneath is already alarmed.' It became a metaphor for inadvertently warning your target.

Stroke Order

打 dǎ

草 cǎo

惊 jīng

蛇 shé