favoring someone so much it backfires; overly partial treatment that harms the recipient
Proverb describing a situation where excessive favoritism or support ends up causing harm or inconvenience to the person being favored.
Because the boss praised only him, he ended up incurring resentment from those around him. That's exactly a case of favoritism backfiring.
If parents are too indulgent with their children, it can actually hinder their independence. It could turn into a case of excessive favoritism causing harm.
過保護 means overprotection, especially of children, while ひいきの引き倒し is a proverb specifically about favoritism that backfires and harms the favored person.
依怙贔屓 refers to favoritism or partiality itself, whereas ひいきの引き倒し describes the negative consequence of such favoritism.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; the most common written form for this proverb.
Full kanji spelling using the rare 贔屓 characters; rarely used in modern writing.
A Japanese proverb combining ひいき (favoritism, partiality) and 引き倒す (to pull down, to topple), literally 'pulling down through favoritism'. The exact origin is uncertain, but it reflects the idea that excessive support can lead to the supported person's downfall.