🐯 与虎谋皮 yǔ hǔ móu pí – Asking a Tiger to Give Up Its Skin

🔍 What It Means

与虎谋皮 (yǔ hǔ móu pí) literally means “to discuss peeling a tiger’s skin with the tiger.”

Word-for-word:

• 与 (yǔ) – with

• 虎 (hǔ) – tiger

• 谋 (móu) – to discuss or plan

• 皮 (pí) – skin

This idiom describes a request that hurts the other side’s interest — so it’s clearly impossible or foolish.

In English, it’s like:

🦊 “Asking a fox to guard the henhouse”

❌ “Expecting your enemy to help you”

🧱 “Negotiating with someone who has no reason to agree”

🏺 Where It Comes From

This idiom comes from a clever old fable.

A loyal minister once warned his king:

“You can’t trust those officials — they want your kingdom.

Believing them is like asking a tiger to give up its skin.”

The king didn’t understand.

So the minister explained:

“If you take a tiger’s skin, it dies.

Why would it help you kill it?”

That simple image made the king pause.

He finally saw the truth — and changed course.

From then on, the saying 与虎谋皮 (yǔ hǔ móu pí) became a way to describe requests that are hopeless, dangerous, or just plain naive.

💬 How to Use It

Use 与虎谋皮 (yǔ hǔ móu pí) when someone:

• 🐯 tries to make a deal that clearly hurts the other side

• 🙅‍♂️ trusts someone who has no reason to help

• 🤦‍♀️ makes a wish that ignores human nature

✅ Often used in politics, business, or tricky negotiations

❌ Not used in casual situations like favors or friendship

🎯 Real Examples

1. 

和他谈利益分配？简直是与虎谋皮！

(Hé tā tán lìyì fēnpèi? Jiǎnzhí shì yǔ hǔ móu pí!)

👉🏻 Talking about sharing profits with him? That’s like asking a tiger for its skin!

2.

要求对手公平竞争，简直是与虎谋皮。

(Yāoqiú duìshǒu gōngpíng jìngzhēng, jiǎnzhí shì yǔ hǔ móu pí.)

👉🏻 Expecting your rival to play fair — that’s totally unrealistic.

⚠️ Common Mistakes (Watch Out!)

❌ Mistake: Using it to describe any unfair deal

✅ Correct: It means asking for something the other side will never accept because it harms them directly

💡 Memory Tip

Imagine sitting down with a tiger… and asking politely:

“May I have your skin, please?”

The tiger blinks.

Then growls.

You didn’t just fail — you put yourself in danger too.

That’s 与虎谋皮 (yǔ hǔ móu pí) — asking someone to help in a way that hurts them.

🧩 Interactive Practice

Translate this sentence into English:

• 跟那个唯利是图的人谈合作共赢？你是在与虎谋皮。

Answer:

• Trying to talk about win-win cooperation with that greedy man? That’s like asking a tiger to give up its skin.

🌟 Final Thoughts

与虎谋皮 (yǔ hǔ móu pí) reminds us to think carefully before making deals.

If the other side has no reason to agree — they probably won’t.

🧠 Ask yourself:

Are you asking for something that goes against the other person’s survival?

👉 Love this? The next idiom’s waiting here