姜太公钓鱼

Mandarin

Etymology

Comes from the phrase: 姜太公钓鱼，愿者上钩

Literally: Grand Duke Jiang goes fishing (those who are willing put themselves onto the fishhook).

Grand Duke Jiang often went angling at the Weishui River, but he would fish in a bizarre way. He hung a straight hook, with no bait, three feet above the water. He over and over again said to himself, "Fish, if you are desperate to live, come and gulp down the hook by yourself."

Idiom

姜太公钓鱼 (simplified, Pinyin jiāng tài gōng diàoyú, traditional 姜太公釣魚)

1. (xiehouyu) like the fish rising to Grand Duke Jiang's hookless and baitless line; a willing victim letting himself be caught of his own will

Synonyms

• 太公钓鱼

External links

• Google hits: .cn
• Google hits: .tw