跳梁小丑 tiào liáng xiǎo chǒu jumping jack

Explanation

比喻猖狂捣乱，不成气候的小人。

A metaphor for small, wicked people who rage and cause mischief but achieve nothing.

Origin Story

话说宋朝时期，奸臣当道，民不聊生。张景宪，一位正直的官员，看不惯这些跳梁小丑的所作所为，他挺身而出，揭露他们的罪行，为百姓伸张正义。一次，奸臣郑昉陷害忠良，张景宪不畏强权，力排众议，将郑昉流放。郑昉心有不甘，暗中策划报复。然而，张景宪早已洞悉他的阴谋诡计，并提前采取措施，将郑昉的阴谋扼杀在摇篮之中。郑昉的最终下场，正是跳梁小丑的真实写照：嚣张一时，最终难逃正义的审判。张景宪的故事，千百年来一直激励着人们，为官清廉，不畏强权，为正义而战。

huà shuō sòng cháo shí qī, jiān chén dāng dào, mín bù liáo shēng. zhāng jǐng xiàn, yī wèi zhèng zhí de guān yuán, kàn bù guàn zhèxiē tiào liáng xiǎo chǒu de suǒ zuò suǒ wéi, tā tǐng shēn ér chū, jiēlù tāmen de zuì xíng, wèi bǎixìng shēn zhāng zhèng yì. yī cì, jiān chén zhèng fǎng xiàn hài zhōng liáng, zhāng jǐng xiàn bù wèi qiáng quán, lì pái zhòng yì, jiāng zhèng fǎng liú fàng. zhèng fǎng xīn yǒu bù gān, àn zhōng cè huà bàofù. rán ér, zhāng jǐng xiàn zǎo yǐ dòng xī tā de yīnmóu guǐjì, bìng tí qián cǎiqǔ cèshī, jiāng zhèng fǎng de yīnmóu è shā zài yáolán zhī zhōng. zhèng fǎng de zuìzhōng xià chǎng, zhèng shì tiào liáng xiǎo chǒu de zhēn shí xiě zhào: xiāo zhāng yī shí, zuìzhōng nán táo zhèng yì de shěn pàn. zhāng jǐng xiàn de gùshì, qiānbǎi nián lái yī zhí jīlì zhèng rénmen, wèi guān qīnglián, bù wèi qiáng quán, wèi zhèng yì ér zhàn

In the Song Dynasty, when treacherous officials were in power, the people were suffering. Zhang Jingxian, an upright official, could not tolerate what those clowns did and stood up to expose their crimes and fight for justice for the people. Once, the traitor Zheng Fang framed loyal officials, but Zhang Jingxian, without fear of power, went against the tide and exiled Zheng Fang. Zheng Fang, unwilling to give up, plotted revenge in secret. However, Zhang Jingxian had already anticipated his conspiracy and took measures to nip it in the bud. Zheng Fang's final outcome was a vivid illustration of the idiom “jumping jack”: a moment of arrogance but finally failing to escape justice. Zhang Jingxian's story has inspired people for centuries to remain honest, fear no power, and fight for justice.

Usage

多用于贬义，形容那些狂妄自大、却最终一事无成的人。

duō yòng yú biǎn yì, xíngróng nàxiē kuángwàng zì dà, què zuìzhōng yī shì wú chéng de rén

Often used derogatorily to describe people who are arrogant and overbearing, but ultimately achieve nothing.

Examples

• 那些跳梁小丑，最终逃不过法律的制裁。

  nàxiē tiàoliáng xiǎochǒu, zuìzhōng táobùguò fǎlǜ de zhìcái

  Those jumping jacks will eventually escape the punishment of the law.

• 面对强敌，我们不能轻敌，更不能被跳梁小丑的嚣张气焰吓倒。

  miàn duì qiángdí, wǒmen bùnéng qīngdí, gèng bùnéng bèi tiàoliáng xiǎochǒu de xiāozhang qìyàn xià dǎo

  In the face of a strong enemy, we should not underestimate the enemy, let alone be intimidated by the arrogance of the small clowns.

Related Idioms

• 宵小

• 鼠辈

Opposite Idioms

• 正人君子

• 栋梁之才