All Idioms
AdvancedChinese Idiom (成语)

仗势欺人

zhàng shì qī rén

“To rely on power and bully others”

Meaning: To bully others by relying on power or influence; to abuse one's authority; to take advantage of one's position to mistreat others

Character-by-Character Breakdown

zhàng
仗
to rely on / to depend on
HSK 6
shì
势
power / influence / momentum
HSK 4
qī
欺
to deceive / to bully
HSK 5
rén
人
person / people
HSK 1

The Story Behind 仗势欺人

Source:《醒世恒言》
Period:Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)

Abusing Power

The idiom 仗势欺人 comes from classical Chinese literature, describing people who abuse their power or influence.

It emphasizes the moral problem of using one's position or connections to mistreat others.

The phrase teaches that abusing power is wrong and that those who do so will eventually face consequences.

It reflects the Confucian value that power should be used responsibly, not to harm others.

Original Classical Chinese

仗势欺人，终有报应。

How to Use 仗势欺人

This idiom is used to criticize people who bully others by relying on their power, influence, or connections.

It emphasizes the unfairness of using one's position to mistreat those who are weaker or have less power.

The idiom is often used to describe situations where someone abuses their authority or takes advantage of their position.

When to use:
  • Use when criticizing abuse of power or authority
  • Often used to describe unfair treatment of weaker people
  • Can be used as a warning against abusing one's position
Common Mistake

Don't confuse this with legitimate use of authority. It specifically refers to abusing power to mistreat others, not using authority appropriately for legitimate purposes.

Example Sentences

1

他仗势欺人，利用自己的权力欺负下属。

Tā zhàng shì qī rén, lìyòng zìjǐ de quánlì qīfù xiàshǔ.

He bullies others by relying on power, using his authority to mistreat subordinates.

2

不要仗势欺人，权力应该用来帮助别人。

Bùyào zhàng shì qī rén, quánlì yīnggāi yòng lái bāngzhù biérén.

Don't bully others by relying on power. Power should be used to help others.

3

他因为父亲是官员就仗势欺人，这是不对的。

Tā yīnwèi fùqīn shì guānyuán jiù zhàng shì qī rén, zhè shì bù duì de.

He bullies others because his father is an official. This is wrong.

Practice Writing

Generate a free printable worksheet with all 4 characters from this idiom.

Generate Worksheet (4 Characters)

Or explore each character:

仗stroke order势stroke order欺stroke order人stroke order

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 仗势欺人 (zhàng shì qī rén) mean?

仗势欺人 literally means "to rely on power and bully others." Figuratively, it means to bully others by relying on power or influence, to abuse one's authority, or to take advantage of one's position to mistreat others. It criticizes the abuse of power.

What is the difference between 仗势欺人 and 狐假虎威?

Both idioms describe bullying using power, but 仗势欺人 refers to using one's own power or position to bully others, while 狐假虎威 refers to using borrowed authority (like a fox borrowing a tiger's power). 仗势欺人 emphasizes one's own power, 狐假虎威 emphasizes borrowed authority.

How do you use 仗势欺人 in a sentence?

Use 仗势欺人 when criticizing abuse of power. For example: "他仗势欺人，利用自己的权力欺负下属" (He bullies others by relying on power, using his authority to mistreat subordinates).

Is 仗势欺人 always negative?

Yes, 仗势欺人 has a negative connotation. It's used to criticize the moral problem of abusing power or authority to mistreat others. It emphasizes that power should be used responsibly.

Is 仗势欺人 difficult to learn?

仗势欺人 is considered advanced level. It uses characters of varying difficulty (仗 HSK6, 势 HSK4, 欺 HSK5, 人 HSK1). The concept is clear and the idiom is commonly used in modern Chinese.