谈虎色变 Tán Hǔ Sè Biàn turn pale at the mention of a tiger

Explanation

谈虎色变，指的是一个人对某件事物感到非常害怕，以至于一听到或看到相关的东西，就会立刻脸色苍白，情绪紧张起来。这个成语来源于一个故事，说的是曾经被老虎咬过的人，即使只是听到老虎的叫声也会害怕得脸色发白。

To turn pale at the mention of a tiger means that a person is so afraid of something that they immediately turn pale and become nervous when they hear or see anything related to it. The idiom comes from a story about a person who was once bitten by a tiger, who turned pale even at the sound of a tiger's roar.

Origin Story

从前，在一个偏远的山村里，住着一位老农。老农一生勤勤恳恳，种田为生。村子附近有一片茂密的森林，森林里经常出现老虎，村民们都对老虎感到十分害怕，谈虎色变。 一天，老农去森林里砍柴，不小心迷路了，太阳渐渐落山，老农越来越害怕。他听到森林里传来一阵阵奇怪的声音，以为是老虎，吓得魂飞魄散，急忙逃跑。 老农跑到村子边缘，突然发现一只小松鼠正在树枝上跳来跳去，松鼠的叫声清脆悦耳，老农这才想起，自己只是被森林里奇怪的声音吓到了，根本没有看见老虎。 老农从那以后，每次去森林里砍柴，都小心谨慎，不再像以前那样谈虎色变。因为他明白了，恐惧来自于未知，只要克服恐惧，勇敢面对，就能化解危机。

cóng qián, zài yī gè piān yuǎn de shān cūn lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi lǎo nóng. lǎo nóng yī shēng qín qín kěn kěn, zhòng tián wéi shēng. cūn zi fù jìn yǒu yī piàn mào mì de sēn lín, sēn lín lǐ jīng cháng chū xiàn hǔ, cūn mín men dōu duì hǔ gǎn dào fēn cháng pà hǎi, tán hǔ sè biàn. yī tiān, lǎo nóng qù sēn lín lǐ kǎn cái, bù xiǎo xīn mí lù le, tài yáng jiàn jiàn luò shān, lǎo nóng yuè lái yuè pà hǎi. tā tīng dào sēn lín lǐ chuán lái yī zhèn zhèn qí guài de shēng yīn, yǐ wéi shì hǔ, xià de hún fēi pò sàn, jí míng táo pǎo. lǎo nóng pǎo dào cūn zi biān yuán, túrán fā xiàn yī zhī xiǎo sōng shǔ zhèng zài shù zhī shàng tiào lái tiào qù, sōng shǔ de jiào shēng qīng cuì yuè ěr, lǎo nóng cái cái xiǎng qǐ, zì jǐ zhǐ shì bèi sēn lín lǐ qí guài de shēng yīn xià dào le, gēn běn méi yǒu kàn jiàn hǔ. lǎo nóng cóng nà yǐ hòu, měi cì qù sēn lín lǐ kǎn cái, dōu xiǎo xīn jǐn shèn, bù zài xiàng yǐ qián nàyàng tán hǔ sè biàn. yīn wéi tā míng bai le, kǒng jù lái zì wèi zhī, zhǐ yào kè fú kǒng jù, yǒng gǎn miàn duì, jiù néng huà jiě wēi jī.

Once upon a time, in a remote village, there lived an old farmer. The old farmer worked diligently all his life, making a living by farming. There was a dense forest near the village, and tigers often appeared in the forest. The villagers were all very afraid of tigers, and they turned pale at the mention of them. One day, the old farmer went to the forest to chop firewood, and he got lost by accident. The sun was setting, and the old farmer became more and more afraid. He heard strange noises coming from the forest and thought it was a tiger. He was terrified and ran away. The old farmer ran to the edge of the village and suddenly saw a squirrel jumping around on a tree branch. The squirrel's call was clear and pleasant, and the old farmer realized that he had only been scared by the strange sounds in the forest, and he had not seen a tiger. From that day on, the old farmer was always careful when he went to the forest to chop firewood. He was no longer as fearful as he used to be. Because he understood that fear comes from the unknown. If you overcome fear and bravely face it, you can overcome crises.

Usage

这个成语用来形容一个人对某件事物感到害怕，一听到或看到相关的东西，就会立刻脸色苍白，情绪紧张起来。

zhè gè chéng yǔ yòng lái xíng róng yī gè rén duì mǒu jiàn shì wù gǎn dào pà hǎi, yī tīng dào huò kàn dào xiāng guān de dōng xī, jiù huì lì kè liǎn sè cāng bái, qíng xù jǐn zhāng qǐ lái.

This idiom is used to describe a person who is afraid of something and immediately turns pale and becomes nervous when they hear or see anything related to it.

Examples

• 他一听到考试就谈虎色变，看来他是没有好好准备。

  tā yī tīng dào kǎo shì jiù tán hǔ sè biàn, kàn lái tā shì méi yǒu hǎo hǎo zhǔn bèi.

  He turns pale at the mention of the exam, it seems that he is not well prepared.

• 她从小就害怕打针，每次去医院都谈虎色变。

  tā cóng xiǎo jiù pà hǎi dǎ zhēn, měi cì qù yī yuàn dōu tán hǔ sè biàn.

  She has been afraid of injections since she was a child, and she turns pale every time she goes to the hospital.

• 每次看到老板，他都谈虎色变，看来他是真的很怕老板。

  měi cì kàn dào lǎo bǎn, tā dōu tán hǔ sè biàn, kàn lái tā shì zhēn de hěn pà lǎo bǎn.

  Every time he sees the boss, he turns pale, it seems that he is really afraid of the boss.

Related Idioms

• 胆小如鼠

• 心惊胆战

Opposite Idioms

• 泰然自若

• 处变不惊