Idioms Lesson 44 兔死狗烹

The hounds are killed for food once all the hares are bagged

During the Spring and Autumn Period (770－476 BC), there were two famous senior officials in the State of Yue. Gou Jian, the King of Yue, ignored the advice of Fan Li and blindly launched an attack against the neighboring State of Wu. As a result, he suffered a disastrous defeat. The King of Wu caught him and had him as a slave. Fan Li persuaded him to endure humiliation, pretend to surrender and wait for an opportunity to avenge. Also, Wen Zhong paid many visits to the State of Wu, trying to help restore Gou's confidence. Years later, Gou was set free. With the help of Fan and Wen, the State of Yue rapidly rehabilitated and later annexed the Wu.

As they had made so much contribution, both Fan and Wen were awarded great riches. Gou Jian even offered half of the state to Fan. However, knowing Gou too well, Fan rejected and decided to live in seclusion. As a hermit, Fan wrote to his friend Wen. In his letter, Fan said, "When all the flying birds have been shot down, the good bow is put away; when all the hares have been bagged, the hounds are killed for food. I suggest you withdraw to avoid disaster." Taking his advice, Wen pretended to be ill and stopped attending imperial court meetings. But it was too late. Gou Jian believed the slanderous gossip about Wen and ordered Wen to kill himself.

Later, people use the idiom "tù sǐ gǒu pēng" to mean "trusted aides are eliminated when they have outlived their usefulness."

tù sǐ gǒu pēng
兔死狗烹

       范蠡和文仲是春秋时期越国的两个大官。越王勾践不听范蠡劝告，盲目进攻邻国吴国，结果被吴国打败，他自己也被吴王抓去作苦力。范蠡说服勾践忍受耻辱，假装服从，等待机会再报仇。文仲也多次到吴国拜访，并且帮助勾践恢复信心。几年以后，吴王把勾践放回越国。在范蠡和文仲的相助下，越国很快就恢复了往日的强大，最后消灭了吴国。

       因为范蠡和文仲为越国做出了巨大的贡献，越王就赏给他们很多财宝，还把国土的一半分给范蠡。但范蠡很了解勾践这个人，所以他谢绝了这些赏赐，找个地方隐居起来。他还写信给文仲告诉他：“当天上的鸟儿被射完了，弓箭也就没用了；当所有的兔子被抓完了，猎狗也将被杀了吃掉。我劝你还是早点离开勾践，免得惹来灾难。”文仲看完信后，接受了范蠡的劝告。他假装生病，不再参加朝中会议，但一切都太迟了。勾践听信了别人对他的谣言，逼他自杀了。

       后来，人们用“兔死狗烹”来比喻事情成功以后，把出过大力的人杀掉。

jiǎo tù sān kū
狡兔三窟
A wily hare has three burrows. – A crafty person has more than one hideout.
tù qǐ hú luò
兔起鹘落
The moment a hare is flushed out, the falcon swoops down. – be agile; have a ready pen

wū fēi tù zǒu
乌飞兔走
rotation of the sun and the moon – swift passage of time

shī zi bó tù
狮子搏兔
(like) a lion pouncing on a hare – go all out even when fighting a weaker enemy or tackling a minor problem; not take anything lightly

jiàn tù gù quǎn
见兔顾犬
look at one's dog when seeing the hare – not yet too late to take action in an emergency

jìng ruò chǔ nǚ, dòng ruò tuō tù
静若处女，动若脱兔
as quiet as a maiden when at rest and as nimble as an escaping hare when in action; demure as a maiden and quick as a rabbit; deliberate in counsel, prompt in action