Definition
This chengyu comes from an ancient fable: a fox uses a tiger's power to scare other animals. It means to bully or intimidate others by relying on someone else's authority or connections. You can use it as a predicate or attributive, often in a negative context.
id.
to bully others by flaunting powerful connections(fig.) to use someone else's authority to intimidate
Examples
- 狐假虎威，。Tā zhàng zhe fùqīn de quánshì dàochù hú jiǎ hǔ wēi, dàjiā dōu hěn tǎoyàn tā.He bullies people everywhere by flaunting his father's power, and everyone dislikes him.
- 狐假虎威。Zhè zhǒng hú jiǎ hǔ wēi de xíngwéi zài zhíchǎng zhōng bìng bù shǎojiàn.This kind of behavior of using someone else's authority to intimidate is not uncommon in the workplace.
- 狐假虎威，。Bié yǐwéi yǒu hòutái jiù néng hú jiǎ hǔ wēi, chízǎo huì lòu xiàn de.Don't think you can bully others just because you have connections; you'll be exposed sooner or later.
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