諺語 · a single proverb
養虎遺患
Simplified: 养虎遗患
What does 養虎遺患 (yǎng hǔ yí huàn) mean?
養虎遺患 (yǎng hǔ yí huàn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "raising a tiger invites future trouble." In use it means: Nurturing a threat instead of addressing it early; the danger you feed today becomes the danger that eats you tomorrow. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Tiger.
Literally: "raising a tiger invites future trouble."
The reading
The cub was small. The cub was cute. Now the cub is an adult tiger, and it is in your house, and it is hungry, and it does not remember the kindness because tigers do not keep that kind of ledger. The threat you tolerated because it was small has used the time you gave it to become large.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Records of the Grand Historian 史記; common cautionary idiom
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Tiger, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 養虎遺患 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 養虎遺患 (yǎng hǔ yí huàn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Records of the Grand Historian 史記; common cautionary idiom. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 養虎遺患?
In Mandarin it is yǎng hǔ yí huàn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 養虎遺患 aloud in Mandarin.