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抱头鼠窜
抱头鼠窜
抱头鼠窜
抱头鼠窜
抱头鼠窜
抱头鼠窜
抱头鼠窜
抱头鼠窜

抱头鼠窜 — “To flee in a panic, covering one's head like a scuttling rat”

抱头鼠窜 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to flee in a panic, covering one's head like a scuttling rat”. To escape in a sorry plight after being defeated or exposed. Literally, “cover one's head and scurry like a rat”.

Frequency

抱头鼠窜 Pronunciation and Pinyin

  • 抱bào
  • 头tóu
  • 鼠shǔ
  • 窜cuàn

抱头鼠窜 Character Breakdown

CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
抱
bào8to embrace or hold
头
tóu5head
鼠
shǔ13mouse or rat
窜
cuàn12flee wildly

Example Sentence with 抱头鼠窜

小偷被发现后,吓得抱头鼠窜,消失在夜色中
After being discovered, the thief, scared out of his wits, fled in a panic, covering his head like a rat, and disappeared into the night.

Origin and Story of 抱头鼠窜

During the Chu-Han Contention period, under Xiao He's strong recommendation, Liu Bang appointed Han Xin as a grand general. Han Xin outflanked Xiang Yu, defeated Zhao, conquered Qi, and occupied the lower Yellow River region, for which he was enfeoffed as the King of Qi.

Kuai Tong actively urged Han Xin to divide the realm into three parts with Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, citing the example of Zhang Er, the King of Changshan, who, in panic, fled and surrendered to the King of Han, and then led troops to eliminate Chen Yu, his lifelong friend.

Idioms Related to 抱头鼠窜

Synonyms of 抱头鼠窜

  • pěng捧tóu头shǔ鼠cuàn窜flee in panic, covering one's head
  • táo逃zhī之yāo夭yāo夭to make a quick and clean escape

Antonyms of 抱头鼠窜

  • dà大yáo摇dà大bǎi摆to swagger or strut pompously

More idioms starting with 抱

  • bào抱bù不píng平to stand up against injustice
  • bào抱lìng令shǒu守lǜ律rigidly adhere to rules
  • bào抱fó佛jiǎo脚make a hasty last-minute effort
  • bào抱guān关jī击tuò柝hold a humble, lowly position
  • bào抱guān关zhí执yuè籥Hold a humble gatekeeper position
  • bào抱guān关zhí执yuè钥serve as a gatekeeper
  • bào抱bīng冰gōng公shì事arduous unrewarding public service
  • bào抱tóu头dà大kū哭weep bitterly and uncontrollably
  • bào抱tóu头tòng痛kū哭weep bitterly in each other's arms
  • bào抱tóu头suō缩xiàng项cower in fear
  • bào抱zǐ子nòng弄sūn孙enjoying old age with children and grandchildren
  • bào抱bǎo宝huái怀zhēn珍possess noble virtues and talents

Questions about 抱头鼠窜

What does 抱头鼠窜 mean?
抱头鼠窜 (bào tóu shǔ cuàn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to flee in a panic, covering one's head like a scuttling rat”.
How do you pronounce 抱头鼠窜?
抱头鼠窜 is pronounced bào tóu shǔ cuàn in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 抱头鼠窜 literally mean?
Literally, 抱头鼠窜 means “cover one's head and scurry like a rat”. It is used to mean “to flee in a panic, covering one's head like a scuttling rat”.
Where does 抱头鼠窜 come from?
抱头鼠窜 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 抱头鼠窜?
抱着头,象老鼠那样惊慌逃跑。形容受到打击后狼狈逃跑。
Copy the pinyin for 抱头鼠窜 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.

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