虎而冠

hǔ'érguàn
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 a tiger wearing a cap
  2. 2 a savage beast in human clothing
  3. 3 a cruel, violent person dressed up as civilized

Examples

Nàxiē kùlì, yīguān-chǔchǔ, shí zé hǔ'érguàn ěr.
Those harsh officials look well-dressed, but they are really just tigers in hats.
Tā biǎomiàn wēnwén, qíshí shì hǔ'érguàn zhī tú.
He seems gentle on the surface, but he's a brute under the cap.

Tips

history
From 《史记·》, describing the underlings of a notoriously cruel official as 'tigers wearing caps' — wild beasts with the outward trappings of civilized men. Literary and rarely used outside written critique.

Stroke Order

ér
guān