‘Jiǎo tù’ literally means ‘crafty rabbit’ and is an idiomatic noun derived from the classical phrase ‘狡兔三窟’ (a crafty rabbit has three burrows), symbolizing shrewdness, resourcefulness, and preparedness for danger. The character 狡 (jiǎo) means ‘cunning’ or ‘sly’, while 兔 (tù) means ‘rabbit’. Together, they evoke a culturally resonant image of cleverness rooted in survival instinct—not malicious deceit, but strategic foresight.

This term is rarely used in isolation in modern spoken Chinese; it most commonly appears in fixed expressions like ‘狡兔死，走狗烹’ (once the crafty rabbit is caught, the hunting dog is cooked)—a metaphor for discarding loyal helpers after their usefulness ends—or as part of literary or rhetorical comparisons to describe someone exceptionally astute and adaptable. It carries a slightly archaic, literary tone and is more frequent in written or formal discourse than in casual speech.