笑里藏刀

笑裡藏刀
xiàolǐ-cángdāo
idiom #39,591

Meanings

  1. 1 a dagger hidden behind a smile
  2. 2 to hide malice behind a friendly manner

Examples

HSK 3
Xiǎoxin tā, zhège rén xiàolǐ-cángdāo.
Watch out for him: he smiles while hiding a knife.
HSK 7-9
Tā dāngmiàn duì xīn tóngshì hěn rèqíng, bèihòu què dàochù shuō huàihuà, zhēnshì xiàolǐ-cángdāo.
She's all warmth to the new colleague's face but bad-mouths her everywhere behind her back. A real dagger behind a smile.

Tips

history
From the 《旧唐书》 biography of the Tang minister 李义府, who smiled at everyone while quietly ruining anyone who crossed him; people said he had a knife in his smile and nicknamed him "Li the Cat". It is also the tenth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, 三十六计.

Stroke Order

笑 xiào
里 lǐ
藏 cáng
刀 dāo