自投罗网
zì tóu luó wǎng
to walk straight into a trap
Character by character
自zì
self
self
投tóu
throw into
throw into
罗luó
bird net
bird net
网wǎng
net
net
Example
小偷又回到现场找手机，正好自投罗网，被警察抓了个正着。
The thief came back to the scene for his phone and walked straight into the net: the police caught him red-handed.
Tone: negative (criticism).
Usage and origin
罗 is a net for catching birds, 网 any net. Said of a criminal who gives himself away, or of anyone who puts himself in danger of his own accord.
Learn this in Lesson 68 · HSK 6: 反诈 (Phone and online scams)
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