人為刀俎，我為魚肉 rén wéi dāo zǔ ， wǒ wéi yú ròu

fig. to be at sb's mercy

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. fig. to be at sb's mercy
  2. 2. lit. to be the meat on sb's chopping block (idiom)

Characters

Character Meaning
人 rén HSK 1
person; people; man
為 wéi
for; because of; to
刀 dāo HSK 4
knife; blade; classifier for knife cuts or stabs
俎 zǔ
a stand for food at sacrifice
我 wǒ HSK 1
I; me; my
為 wéi
for; because of; to
魚 yú
fish; surname Yu
肉 ròu HSK 2
meat; flesh; pulp (of a fruit)