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 dǎcǎo-jīngshé.

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 dǎcǎo-jīngshé.

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