炙手可热

Origin and story

Du Fu's Tang poem Li Ren Xing moves from an extravagant spring outing and luxurious food to the threatening power surrounding the chief minister. Its closing lines call that influence hot enough to scorch the hand and warn against approaching and provoking his anger. The apparent heat is a metaphor for intimidating political power.

A later Tang account, Pei Tingyu's Dongguan Zouji, records the same phrase in a saying about four influential associates of Cui Xuan. These are documented Tang settings, not a Later Han minister's anecdote. The traditional sense is cautionary; some later usage extends it to exceptional popularity, though it remains stronger and more loaded than an ordinary compliment.