養虎為患 yǎng hǔ wéi huàn

lit. to nurture a tiger invites calamity

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. lit. to nurture a tiger invites calamity
  2. 2. fig. to indulge one's enemy is asking for trouble (idiom)

Characters

Character Meaning
養 yǎng
to bring up (children); to raise (animals); to keep (pets)
虎 hǔ HSK 4
tiger
為 wéi
for; because of; to
患 huàn HSK 6
to suffer (from illness); to contract (a disease); worry