玩火自焚
wán huǒ zì fén
whoever plays with fire gets burnt; to come to grief through one’s own reckless schemes
Character by character
玩wán
play
play
火huǒ
fire
fire
自zì
self
self
焚fén
burn
burn
Example
他一次又一次在网上散布谣言，以为不会被追究，结果玩火自焚，被警方拘留了。
He spread rumours online again and again, thinking he would never be held to account; in the end he got burnt and was detained by the police.
Tone: negative (criticism).
Usage and origin
From the Zuo Zhuan, where war is likened to fire that burns whoever fails to contain it. Used of people whose risky or wicked schemes destroy them; 玩火者必自焚 is also a stock warning in official statements on foreign affairs.
Learn this in Lesson 179 · HSK 7–9: 克隆猴与基因编辑 (Cloned monkeys and edited genes)
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.
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