hồ giả hổ oai
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
The fox borrowing the tiger's terror — swagger rented from the power standing behind.
Literally: fox fakes the tiger's majesty
Examples
Cậy thế ông chủ mà nạt người, hồ giả hổ oai.Bullying on the boss's shadow — the fox in the tiger's terror.
Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)
Sources & notes
Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “hồ giả hổ oai” mean?
The fox borrowing the tiger's terror — swagger rented from the power standing behind. Literally: fox fakes the tiger's majesty
Is “hồ giả hổ oai” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.