Daimashin Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 投鼠忌器 (Tóushǔjìqì) - Think before acting.投鼠 (Tóushǔ) - Catch rat, 忌器 (jìqì) - beware of the wares.Once upon a time there was an emperor that was harsh in dishing out punishments to subordinates that have done wrong. No matter how the advisor persuaded the emperor, the emperor wouldn't listen. One day, the advisor caught a rat and released it in the imperial chambers where all of the emperor's beloved wares are kept. The emperor was afraid that his men would damage his wares so he chose to catch it himself. The rat ran all over the place and because the emperor was afraid of damaging his precious wares, couldn't catch the rat. The advisor took the rat as an example, and told the emperor that he should consider the consequences before dishing out punishments as his actions might cause dissatisfaction among the officials.投鼠忌器 (Tóushǔjìqì) is used to tell people to think before they act to avoid unwanted incidents.Example:"做人應該要懂得「投鼠忌器」， 不要只會橫衝直撞." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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