瓮中之鳖 Wèng zhōng zhī biē turtle in a jar

Explanation

比喻已经落入圈套，无法逃脱的人或事物。

A metaphor for a person or thing that has fallen into a trap and cannot escape.

Origin Story

话说三国时期，诸葛亮率领蜀军与魏军对峙。魏军主帅司马懿自恃兵强马壮，屡次派兵骚扰蜀军，企图消耗蜀军的实力。诸葛亮深知司马懿的意图，便决定设下圈套，一举歼灭魏军先锋部队。他命人秘密在山谷中挖出一条地道，地道入口隐蔽，不易察觉。然后，他在谷口摆出诱敌深入的阵势，并故意让魏军先锋部队进入山谷。魏军先锋部队看到蜀军阵势薄弱，便得意洋洋地长驱直入，哪知刚进入山谷，诸葛亮便下令关闭地道入口，将魏军先锋部队困在山谷中，如同瓮中之鳖，无法逃脱。蜀军随后发起猛攻，魏军先锋部队溃不成军，被蜀军杀得人仰马翻。从此以后，“瓮中之鳖”便用来比喻已经处于被控制的状态，无法摆脱困境。

huà shuō sān guó shíqí, zhū gě liàng shuài lǐng shǔ jūn yǔ wèi jūn duì zhì. wèi jūn zhǔ shuài sī mǎ yì zì shì bīng qiáng mǎ zhuàng, lǚ cì pài bīng sāo rǎo shǔ jūn, qǐtú xiāo hào shǔ jūn de shílì. zhū gě liàng shēn zhī sī mǎ yì de yìtú, biàn juédìng shè xià quāntào, yī jǔ jiān miè wèi jūn xiānfēng bùduì. tā mìng rén mìmì zài shānyǔ zhōng wā chū yī tiáo dìdào, dìdào rùkǒu yǐnbì, bù yì chájué. ránhòu, tā zài gǔkǒu bǎi chū yòudí shēnrù de zhènshì, bìng gùyì ràng wèi jūn xiānfēng bùduì jìnrù shānyǔ. wèi jūn xiānfēng bùduì kàn dào shǔ jūn zhènshì bó ruò, biàn déyì yángyáng de cháng qū zhí rù, nǎ zhī gāng jìnrù shānyǔ, zhū gě liàng biàn xià lìng guānbì dìdào rùkǒu, jiāng wèi jūn xiānfēng bùduì kùn zài shānyǔ zhōng, rútóng wèng zhōng zhī biē, wúfǎ táo tuō. shǔ jūn suíhòu fāqǐ měng gōng, wèi jūn xiānfēng bùduì kuì bù chéng jūn, bèi shǔ jūn shā de rén yǎng mǎ fān. cóng cǐ yǐhòu,“wèng zhōng zhī biē”biàn yòng lái bǐyù yǐjīng chǔ yú bèi kòngzhì de zhuàngtài, wúfǎ bǎi tuō kùnjìng.

During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang led the Shu army against the Wei army. Sima Yi, the commander-in-chief of the Wei army, confident in his superior military strength, repeatedly sent troops to harass the Shu army, attempting to deplete their strength. Zhuge Liang, knowing Sima Yi's intentions, decided to set a trap and annihilate the Wei army's vanguard in one fell swoop. He ordered people to secretly dig a tunnel in the valley, the entrance to which was hidden and difficult to detect. Then, he arranged a formation at the mouth of the valley to lure the enemy deeper into the valley, deliberately allowing the Wei army's vanguard to enter. Seeing the Shu army's seemingly weak formation, the Wei army's vanguard triumphantly marched straight in. But as soon as they entered the valley, Zhuge Liang ordered the entrance to the tunnel closed, trapping the Wei army's vanguard in the valley, like a turtle in a jar, unable to escape. The Shu army then launched a fierce attack, the Wei army's vanguard was routed, and the Shu army inflicted heavy casualties upon them. From then on, "a turtle in a jar" came to be used to describe someone who is already under control and unable to escape their predicament.

Usage

用作宾语；比喻已被控制，无法逃脱的人或事物。

yòng zuò bīnyǔ; bǐyù yǐbèi kòngzhì, wúfǎ táotuō de rén huò shìwù

Used as an object; a metaphor for someone or something that has already been controlled and cannot escape.

Examples

• 此次行动，敌人已被我们包围，成了瓮中之鳖。

  cǐ cì xíngdòng, dírén yǐ bèi wǒmen bāowéi, chéngle wèng zhōng zhī biē

  In this operation, the enemy has been surrounded by us and has become a turtle in a jar.

• 他精心策划的阴谋，早已被我们识破，不过是瓮中之鳖罢了。

  tā jīngxīn jìhuà de yīnmóu, zǎoyǐ bèi wǒmen shí pò, bùguòshì wèng zhōng zhī biē bà le

  His carefully planned conspiracy has long been seen through by us, it's just a turtle in a jar.

• 面对如此强大的实力，他们如同瓮中之鳖，无处可逃。

  miàn duì rúcǐ qiángdà de shílì, tāmen rútóng wèng zhōng zhī biē, wú chù kě táo

  Faced with such a powerful force, they are like a turtle in a jar, with nowhere to escape.

Related Idioms

• 瓮中捉鳖

• 囊中之物

Opposite Idioms

• 漏网之鱼

• 逍遥法外