乘虚而入
chéng xū ér rù
to seize on a weak spot and get in
Character by character
乘chéng
exploit
exploit
虚xū
weakness
weakness
而ér
and
and
入rù
enter
enter
Example
夜里保安睡着了，小偷乘虚而入，偷走了好几辆电动车。
The security guard fell asleep in the night, and thieves seized their chance and made off with several e-bikes.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
虚 is the military idea of a weak, undefended point, as in Sunzi’s 避实而击虚 (avoid the strong, strike the weak): get in where the defence is empty. Now said of thieves, scammers, rivals or even germs that slip in through a gap: 让骗子乘虚而入, 病菌乘虚而入. Leaving a 可乘之机 is what lets others 乘虚而入.
Learn this in Lesson 196 · HSK 7–9: 个人信息保护 (Protecting personal information)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
Open the lesson →