6 (coll.) (since c. 2009) used before a verb that does not accurately represent what actually happened, to describe with black humor how sb or sth was dealt with by the authorities (as in 被自殺|被自杀[bèi zì shā])
1 bitten by a snake in one year, fears the well rope for ten years (idiom); once bitten twice shy
一朝被蛇咬,十年怕井绳
yī zhāo bèi shé yǎo , shí nián pà jǐng shéng
1 once bitten by a snake, ten years in fear of a well rope
2 once bitten, twice shy (idiom)
捕风捉影
bǔ fēng zhuō yǐng
1 lit. chasing the wind and clutching at shadows (idiom); fig. groundless accusations
2 to act on hearsay evidence
撒网捕风
sā wǎng bǔ fēng
1 lit. the wind cannot be caught in a net
2 to waste one's effort (idiom)
聪明反被聪明误
cōng míng fǎn bèi cōng míng wù
1 a clever person may become the victim of his own ingenuity (idiom); cleverness may overreach itself
2 too smart for one's own good
螳螂捕蝉
táng láng bǔ chán
1 the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind (idiom, from Daoist classic Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子); to pursue a narrow gain while neglecting a greater danger
螳螂捕蝉,黄雀在后
táng láng bǔ chán , huáng què zài hòu
1 the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind (idiom, from Daoist classic Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子); to pursue a narrow gain while neglecting a greater danger
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