Chinese proverbs about danger

Warnings about the need to prepare for impending danger, and how to cope when a threat is at hand.

鸡犬不宁

Jī quǎn bù ning [ji quan bu ning]

chicken dog not stand

Even the chicken and dog are disturbed. General commotion

All in turmoil and excitement

骑虎难下

Qí hǔ nán xià [qi hu nan xia]

ride tiger difficult down

When on a tiger's back, it is hard to dismount

When taking risks you have to live with the consequences, it is difficult to back out

He who sups with the Devil should have a long spoon

初生之犊不怕虎

Chū shēng zhī dú bù pà hǔ [chu sheng zhi du bu pa hu]

early bear this calf not fear tiger

A baby calf does not fear a tiger

Innocence about the dangers involved

热锅上的蚂蚁

Rè guō shàng de mǎ yǐ [re guo shang de ma yi]

heat pot up of ants

As active as ants on a hot pan

In a state of feverish activity and excitement

毛骨悚然

Maó gǔ sǒng rán [mao gu song ran]

hair bone fearful promise

Hair standing on end

Petrified with fright

因噎废食

Yīn yè fèi shí [yin ye fei shi]

because choke abandon eat

If is foolish to refuse to eat just because of the chance of choking

Life does not come without risks. Risk of failure is not an argument for not trying

悬崖勒马

Xuán yá lè mǎ [xuan ya le ma]

precipice rein in horse

Rein in the horse at the cliff edge

Realize danger at the last moment

明枪易躲,暗箭难防

Míng qiāng yì duǒ, àn jiàn nán fáng [ming qiang yi duo, an jian nan fang]

bright spear easy hide, dark arrow difficult defend

It is easy to dodge a spear from in front; but hard to avoid an arrow from behind

It is difficult to guard against furtive attacks

焦头烂额

Jiāo tóu làn é [jiao tou lan e]

beaten head burnt brow

Head bruised and brow burned

In terrible trouble

Beaten black and blue

所向无前

Suǒ xiàng wú qián [suo xiang wu qian]

actual direction nothing previous

No obstacle in any direction, to be able to conquer on all fronts

Invincible against all opponents

强龙难压地头蛇

Qiáng lóng nán yā dì tóu shé [qiang long nan ya di tou she]

strong dragon difficult press soil head snake

Even a dragon finds it difficult to conquer a snake in its lair

Knowledge of local area and people gives them a distinct advantage even against a strong enemy

出生入死

Chū shēng rù sǐ [chu sheng ru si]

be born enter death

To risk one's life

Offer unquestioning support

Through thick and thin

虎口拔牙

Hǔ kǒu bá yá [hu kou ba ya]

tiger mouth pull up tooth

To extract a tooth from a tiger's mouth

To be very daring and/or to take unnecessary risks

赴汤蹈火

Fù tāng dǎo huǒ [fu tang dao huo]

wade hot water tread fire

Wade through scolding water and burning flame

Showing great courage and valour

狗急跳墙

Gǒu jí tiaò qiáng [gou ji tiao qiang]

dog anxious leap wall

A cornered dog will leap over a wall

Extreme circumstances require extreme measures

The end justifies the means

刀山火海

Dāo shān huǒ hǎi [dao shan huo hai]

knife mountain fire sea

A mountain of knives; a sea of fires

An extremely difficult and dangerous situation

以卵击石

Yǐ luǎn tóu shí [yi luan tou shi]

use egg strike stone

Try to smash a stone with an egg

Overrate strength and be defeated. An ill-judged contest

三十六计,走为上策

Sān shí liù jì, zǒu wéi shàng cè [san shi liu ji, zou wei shang ce]

thirty six sums walk pride up urge

Of the thirty-six stratagems, running away is the best. 'The Thirty-Six Stratagems' were written by the great military thinker Sun Zi ➚

Sometimes it is best to avoid conflict altogether. Flight can be the best option

Devil take the hindmost

前怕狼后怕虎

Qián pà láng hòu pà hǔ [qian pa lang hou pa hu]

before fear wolf behind fear tiger

To fear wolves ahead and tigers behind

To be obsessed by fears of attack from all sides

A Chinese bamboo book, open and unfolded to display the contents. This copy of The Art of War 孙子兵法 by Sun Wu is part of a collection at the University of California, Riverside ➚. It was either commissioned or transcribed by the Qing Emperor Qianlong.
Image by bluefootedbooby ➚ available under a Creative Commons license ➚

Our proverbs come with lots of information. The modern Chinese characters are followed by the proverb in pinyin. Next, there is a crude character by character transliteration into English, followed by a more accurate English translation. If this is a Chinese proverb alluding to history the meaning may still not be clear in English, so the general meaning follows. Finally some proverbs have fairly direct English equivalents, if so the English proverb is included at the end.

Our translations are in need of improvement, so please let us know your suggestions.