欺软怕硬 bully the weak and fear the strong
Explanation
形容那些欺负弱小，害怕强大的人。
Describes those who bully the weak and fear the strong.
Origin Story
春秋时期，宋襄公是个胸怀大志却缺乏实力的君主。他渴望成为像齐桓公那样的霸主，但却缺乏足够的军事实力。他常常召集一些弱小的诸侯国开会，摆出霸主的架势，对他们颐指气使，收取贡品。然而，当面对强大的诸侯国时，宋襄公却显得胆小怕事，不敢轻易与其发生冲突，总是采取回避的态度。他这种欺软怕硬的行为，最终导致了他霸业的失败，也成为后世嘲讽的对象。宋襄公的故事告诉我们，真正的强大不是欺软怕硬，而是实力和正义的结合。只有具备强大的实力，才能维护正义，才能在国际关系中立于不败之地。
During the Spring and Autumn period, Song Xiangong was an ambitious but weak ruler. He yearned to become a hegemon like Qi Huangong, but lacked sufficient military strength. He often summoned weaker vassal states to meetings, putting on a show of power, bossing them around, and collecting tributes. However, when faced with powerful vassal states, Song Xiangong became cowardly and avoided conflict. His behavior of bullying the weak and fearing the strong ultimately led to the failure of his hegemonic ambitions and became the subject of ridicule in later generations. The story of Song Xiangong teaches us that true strength lies not in bullying the weak and fearing the strong, but in the combination of power and justice. Only with sufficient power can one uphold justice and remain undefeated in international relations.
Usage
用来形容那些欺负弱小，害怕强大的人。
Used to describe those who bully the weak and fear the strong.
Examples
-
他总是欺软怕硬，对上司毕恭毕敬，对下属却颐指气使。
tā zǒng shì qī ruǎn pà yìng, duì shàngsī bì gōng bì jìng, duì xiàshǔ què yí zhǐ qì shǐ.
He always bullies the weak and fears the strong, being respectful to his superiors but bossy to his subordinates.
-
在国际关系中，有些国家喜欢欺软怕硬，对弱小国家横行霸道。
zài guójì guān xì zhōng, yǒuxiē guójiā xǐhuan qī ruǎn pà yìng, duì ruòxiǎo guójiā héngxíng bàdào.
In international relations, some countries like to bully the weak and fear the strong, acting like thugs towards weak nations.
-
不要欺软怕硬，要公平对待每一个人。
bù yào qī ruǎn pà yìng, yào gōngpíng duìdài měi yīgè rén。
Don't be a bully, treat everyone fairly.