李代桃僵 lǐ dài táo jiāng

to substitute one thing for another

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. to substitute one thing for another
  2. 2. to carry the can for sb
  3. 3. lit. the plum tree withers in place of the peach tree

Characters

Character Meaning
李 lǐ HSK 3
surname Li; plum
代 dài HSK 5
to substitute; to replace; to act on behalf of others
桃 táo HSK 5
peach
僵 jiāng HSK 6
rigid; deadlock; stiff (corpse)