The fox mourns the death of the hare is a commonly used Chinese idiom, literally meaning that when the hare dies, the fox feels sad. It originates from The History of Song: The Biography of Li Quan, and is used metaphorically to describe feeling sorrow over the failure or death of one's own kind. It is mostly used in a derogatory sense, describing villains who feel regret and panic over the downfall of their accomplices. The deeper meaning of this idiom lies in revealing an emotional response based on shared interests or sympathy among the same kind, but it usually carries a sarcastic tone, implying that the mourner is not motivated by genuine compassion but by fear of suffering the same fate. In terms of usage, it is often employed to describe the sense of the fox mourning the hare among members of evil forces, or more generally to refer to feeling grief over the misfortune of one's own kind. In terms of cultural background, it reflects ancient China's profound insight into human nature and relationships of interest. In terms of emotional coloring, this idiom is mostly derogatory, though it is sometimes used in a neutral description to express a sentiment of one species grieving for another of its kind.
📝 Example
1. Seeing his accomplice arrested, the thief couldn't help but feel a sense of grief for the fallen of his kind, fearing he would soon be caught too. (Refers to feeling sorrow and panic due to the failure of one's own kind.)
2. After several corrupt officials in the company were investigated and punished, others with similar behavior felt a sense of grief for the fallen of their kind and began to live in constant fear. (Refers to feeling sorrow and unease due to the misfortune of one's own kind.)