lit. the dragon wars, the tiger battles (idiom) / fierce battle between giants
四象
sì xiàng
four divisions (of the twenty-eight constellations 二十八宿[er4 shi2 ba1 xiu4] of the sky into groups of seven mansions), namely: Azure Dragon 青龍|青龙[Qing1 long2], White Tiger 白虎[Bai2 hu3], Vermilion Bird 朱雀[Zhu1 que4], Black Tortoise 玄武[Xuan2 wu3]
伏虎
fú hǔ
to subdue a tiger / fig. to prevail over sinister forces
if you ride a tiger, it's hard to get off (idiom) / fig. impossible to stop halfway
虎跳峡
Hǔ tiào Xiá
Tiger Leaping Gorge on the Jinsha River 金沙江[Jin1 sha1 jiang1] in Lijiang Naxi autonomous county 麗江納西族自治縣|丽江纳西族自治县[Li4 jiang1 Na4 xi1 zu2 Zi4 zhi4 xian4], Yunnan
leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) / sculpted stone tiger installed at the tomb of revered figures in ancient times to ward off evil spirits
虎符
hǔ fú
tiger tally (a two-piece object made in the shape of a tiger, used in ancient China as proof of authority. One half of a tally could be issued to a military officer and this would be matched with the other half when verification was required.)
为虎作伥
wèi hǔ zuò chāng
to act as accomplice to the tiger / to help a villain do evil (idiom)
龙腾虎跃
lóng téng hǔ yuè
lit. dragon soaring and tiger leaping (idiom) / fig. prosperous and bustling / vigorous and active
谈虎色变
tán hǔ sè biàn
to turn pale at the mention of a tiger (idiom) / to be scared at the mere mention of
虎骨
hǔ gǔ
tiger bone (used in TCM)
照猫画虎
zhào māo huà hǔ
lit. drawing a tiger using a cat as a model (idiom) / fig. to follow a model and get things more or less right but without capturing the spirit of the subject / uninspired imitation
饿虎扑食
è hǔ pū shí
like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey
老虎凳
lǎo hǔ dèng
tiger bench (torture method in which the victim sits with legs extended horizontally along a bench, upper legs held down with straps while bricks are inserted under the feet, forcing the knee joint to bend in reverse)
虎年
hǔ nián
Year of the Tiger (e.g. 2010)
势成骑虎
shì chéng qí hǔ
if you ride a tiger, it's hard to get off (idiom) / fig. impossible to stop halfway
初生之犊不畏虎
chū shēng zhī dú bù wèi hǔ
lit. a new-born calf has no fear of the tiger (idiom) / fig. the fearlessness of youth
虎狮兽
hǔ shī shòu
tigon or tiglon, hybrid cross between a male tiger and a lioness
Ang Li (1954-), Taiwanese-American film director (films include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 臥虎藏龍|卧虎藏龙 / and Brokeback Mountain 斷背山|断背山)
不入虎穴焉得虎子
bù rù hǔ xué yān dé hǔ zǐ
how can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's lair / nothing venture / nothing to gain or have
武松
Wǔ Sōng
Wu Song, a heroic outlaw of Liangshan Marsh in the classic novel Water Margin 水滸傳|水浒传[Shui3 hu3 Zhuan4], whose exploits include killing a tiger with his bare hands
lit. the heart of a sheep in the skin of a tiger (idiom) / fig. impressive in appearance but lacking in substance / braggart
虎毒不食子
hǔ dú bù shí zǐ
a tiger, though cruel, will not devour its cubs (idiom) / even wild beasts look after their young
白虎观
Bái hǔ guàn
White Tiger Hall, a Han dynasty palace hall in which the famous Virtuous Discussions Held in White Tiger Hall 白虎通德論|白虎通德论 / were held under the aegis of Han Emperor Zhang 漢章帝|汉章帝
飞符
fēi fú
talisman in the form of a painting of symbols thought to have magical powers (also called 符籙|符箓[fu2 lu4]) / to invoke the magical power of such a talisman / a tiger tally 虎符[hu3 fu2] sent with great urgency
画虎不成反类犬
huà hǔ bù chéng fǎn lèi quǎn
to try to draw a tiger but end up with a likeness of a dog (idiom) / to try to do sth overambitious and end up botching it
hǔ