老虎头上拍苍蝇

Traditional (Taiwan): 老虎頭上拍蒼蠅

lǎohǔtóushangpāicāngying ㄌㄠˇ ㄏㄨˇ ㄊㄡˊ ˙ㄕㄤ ㄆㄞ ㄘㄤ ˙ㄧㄥ

    • to provoke someone powerful and bring trouble on oneself
    • to target high-ranking officials

Character by character

Saying俗语俗語

Idiom惯用语 · Widely known

Literally
swatting a fly on a tiger's head
Meaning
Provoking someone powerful and bringing trouble on oneself. Also used, since the anti-corruption campaign, for targeting high officials. Like "poking the bear."

Sources