與狐謀皮

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Chinese

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and; to give; together with
and; to give; together with; take part in; (interrog. part.)
 
fox to plan; seek; scheme leather; skin; fur
trad. (與狐謀皮)
simp. (与狐谋皮)
Literally: “to ask a fox for its skin”.

Etymology

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Quoted from Zuo Qiuming, the author of Master Zuo's Spring and Autumn Annals:

珍羞千金少牢之下深林何者 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
珍羞千金少牢之下深林何者 [Literary Chinese, simp.]
From: Taiping Yulan (Readings of the Taiping Era), 977 – 983 CE
Zhōu rén yǒu ài qiú ér hǎo zhēnxiū, yù wèi qiānjīn zhī qiú ér yǔ hú móu qí pí, yù jù shàoláo zhī zhēn ér yǔ yáng móu qí xiū. Yán wèi zú, hú xiàng lǜ táo yú zhòng qiū zhīxià, yáng xiàng hū cáng yú shēnlín zhī zhōng. Gù zhōu rén shí nián bù zhì yī qiú, wǔ nián bù jù yī láo. Hézhě? Zhōu rén zhī móu shī zhī yǐ. [Pinyin]
There was a man from Zhou who loved fur coats and delicacies. He would ask foxes for their skin for splendid fur coats, and ask lambs for its meat to make a feast. But before he finished saying this, the foxes fled to under mountains following each other, and the lambs hid themselves deep in forests whining. As a results, that man from Zhou could never make a coat even after ten years, and could never have a feast even after five years. Why? It was because he discussed with the wrong person.

Pronunciation

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Idiom

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與狐謀皮

  1. Synonym of 與虎謀皮与虎谋皮 (yǔhǔmóupí).