Back to Dictionary
打草惊蛇
打草驚蛇
dǎcǎojīngshé
1. lit. beat the grass to scare the snake
2. to inadvertently alert an enemy
3. to punish sb as a warning to others (idiom)

Character Breakdown

打
dǎ
to attack, to beat, to hit, to strike
HSK 1 5 丶
草
cǎo
grass, herbs; straw, thatch
HSK 3 9 丶
惊
jīng
to frighten, to startle; surprise, alarm
HSK 4 11 丶
蛇
shé
snake
HSK 5 11 丶

Metadata

Category
Chinese