笑里藏刀 xiaoli cangdao a knife hidden in a smile

Explanation

形容对人外表和气，却阴险毒辣。

Describes someone who is outwardly friendly but inwardly insidious and treacherous.

Origin Story

唐朝时期，宰相李义府表面上温文尔雅，待人接物总是笑脸相迎，但实际上阴险毒辣，心狠手辣。他经常利用自己权势，暗中陷害政敌，巩固自己的地位。许多人被他表面上的温和所迷惑，等到发现上当受骗时，已经为时已晚。他的行为也成为后人笑里藏刀的典型例子。人们用这个成语来形容那些表面和气，实际上阴险毒辣的人。

tang chao shiqi,zaixiang li yifu biaomianshang wenwen erya,dairen jiewu zongshi xiaolian xiangying,dan shijishang yinjian duola,xinhen shou la.ta jingchang liyong ziji quan shi,an zhong xianhai zhengdi,gonggu zijide diwei.xuduoren bei ta biaomianshang de wenhe suo mihuo,dengdao faxian shangdang shoupian shi,yijing weishi yilwan.ta de xingwei ye chengwei houren xiaoli cangdao de dianxing lizi.renmen yong zhege chengyu lai xingrong na xie biaomian heqi,shijishang yinjian duola de ren.

During the Tang Dynasty, Prime Minister Li Yifu was outwardly gentle and polite, always greeting people with a smile, but in reality he was insidious and ruthless. He often used his power to secretly harm his political opponents and consolidate his position. Many people were deceived by his apparent kindness, and by the time they discovered the deception, it was too late. His actions became a typical example of the idiom "a knife hidden in a smile." People use this idiom to describe those who are outwardly friendly but inwardly insidious and ruthless.

Usage

用于形容那些表面友善，内心阴险的人。

yong yu xingrong na xie biaomian youshan,neixin yinxian de ren.

Used to describe those who are outwardly friendly but inwardly insidious.

Examples

• 他笑里藏刀，表面和气，实际上却心怀不轨。

  ta xiaoli cangdao,biaomian heqi,shijishang que xinhuai bugui.

  He hides a knife in his smile, seemingly amicable but actually treacherous.

• 这个人笑里藏刀，令人防不胜防。

  zhege ren xiaoli cangdao,ling ren fang bu sheng fang

  This person hides a knife in his smile, making people unsuspecting..

Related Idioms

• 口蜜腹剑

• 笑面虎

Opposite Idioms

• 推心置腹

• 坦诚相待