坐山觀虎鬥

Chinese

		to sit; to take a seat; to take (a bus, aeroplane, etc.)	mountain; hill	to look at; to watch; to observe to look at; to watch; to observe; to behold; Taoist monastery	tiger	fight; contend; incite fight; contend; incite; meet; encounter
trad. (坐山觀虎鬥)		坐	山	觀	虎	鬥
simp. (坐山观虎斗)		坐	山	观	虎	斗
Literally: “to sit on top of the mountain to watch the tigers fight”.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): zuòshānguānhǔdòu

(Zhuyin): ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄕㄢㄍㄨㄢㄏㄨˇ ㄉㄡˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): zo⁶ saan¹ gun¹ fu² dau³

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: zuòshānguānhǔdòu
  - Zhuyin: ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄕㄢㄍㄨㄢㄏㄨˇ ㄉㄡˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: zuòshanguanhǔdòu
  - Wade–Giles: tso⁴-shan¹-kuan¹-hu³-tou⁴
  - Yale: dzwò-shān-gwān-hǔ-dòu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzuohshanguanhuudow
  - Palladius: цзошаньгуаньхудоу (czošanʹguanʹxudou)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹ ʂän⁵⁵ ku̯än⁵⁵ xu²¹⁴⁻²¹ toʊ̯⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: zo⁶ saan¹ gun¹ fu² dau³
  - Yale: joh sāan gūn fú dau
  - Cantonese Pinyin: dzo⁶ saan¹ gun¹ fu² dau³
  - Guangdong Romanization: zo⁶ san¹ gun¹ fu² deo³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɔː²² saːn⁵⁵ kuːn⁵⁵ fuː³⁵ tɐu̯³³/

Idiom

坐山觀虎鬥

(figuratively) to watch in safety while others fight, then reaping the spoils when both sides suffer.

Synonyms

(Hokkien) 徛懸山看馬相踢／徛悬山看马相踢

References

Chinese Idiom: Sitting on a Hill Watching Tigers Fight

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