打草驚蛇 dǎ cǎo jīng shé

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. beat the grass to scare the snake (idiom)
  2. fig. to inadvertently alert an enemy
  3. to punish sb as a warning to others

CHARACTERS

打 dǎ
HSK 1
strike, hit, beat; fight; attack
草 cǎo
HSK 3
grass, straw, thatch, herbs
驚 jīng frighten, surprise, startle
蛇 shé
HSK 5
snake