A moth flying itself into flames
Used in situations where someone is digging their own grave or causing their own ruin
Negative
但对于一个陷于忽视赤字的指责的政治家而言，这有些飞蛾扑火 | Dàn duìyú yīgè xiànyú hūshì chìzì de zhǐzé de zhèngzhì jiā ér yán, zhè yǒuxiē fēi'épūhuǒ
For a politician accused by some of ignoring the deficit, this is a risky gesture
[Source]
飞蛾扑火般冲进危险之中 | Fēi'épūhuǒ bān chōngjìn wéixiǎn zhī zhōng
Barreling headlong into danger
[Source]
To court disaster
Dig your own grave
飞蛾投火 (fēi é tóu huǒ)
"飞蛾扑火" was a line in the emperor's poem
《梁书》(Liáng Shū, "The Book of Liang"), a work that documents the history of the Liáng Dynasty (梁, 502 - 557). It was written by Táng Dynasty (唐, 618 - 907) author 姚思廉 (Yáo Sī Lián)
During the Liáng Dynasty (梁, 502 - 557), there lived a man named 到溉 (Dào Gài). 到溉 was orphaned young and endured a difficult childhood, but despite that, he studied extremely hard and earned a position in the imperial court.
到溉 later had a grandson named 到荩 (Dào Jìn). The two of them got on very well, and 到溉 personally helped nurture 到荩's great literary talents. Eventually, 到荩's skills in writing and poetry surpassed those of his grandfather's.
到荩 abilities did not go unnoticed, and even the emperor continually praised his work. One day, while 到溉 and 到荩 were chatting with the emperor during an outing, the emperor jokingly said to 到溉, "Your grandson writes poems so well — does he write your poems for you?" In addition to making the joke, the emperor also wrote a poem on the matter, suggesting that 到溉 could be replaced by his own grandson and that 到溉 had brought this upon himself by selflessly cultivating his grandson's literary talents.