noun
unnecessary trouble brought upon oneself; stirring up a hornet's nest
Idiomatic expression derived from the proverb 藪をつついて蛇を出す (poking a bush and flushing out a snake). Used when someone's action creates a problem that could have been avoided by leaving things alone.
See also: 藪をつついて蛇を出す
余計なことを言ったら、やぶ蛇になるだけだよ。
If you say something unnecessary, you'll just stir up a hornet's nest.
彼の過去を探るのはやぶ蛇だ。
Digging into his past is asking for trouble.
Alternate kanji form using 薮 instead of 藪; rare.
This is the full proverb from which 藪蛇 is abbreviated. It means 'to poke a bush and flush out a snake,' i.e., to bring unnecessary trouble upon oneself by meddling.
Abbreviation of the proverb 藪をつついて蛇を出す (yabu o tsutsuite hebi o dasu), literally 'poke a bush and flush out a snake.' The shortened form 藪蛇 (yabuhebi) is used idiomatically to refer to the resulting trouble.