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穷鼠啮狸
穷鼠啮狸
穷鼠啮狸
穷鼠啮狸
穷鼠啮狸
穷鼠啮狸
穷鼠啮狸
穷鼠啮狸

穷鼠啮狸 — “A cornered rat bites the cat”

穷鼠啮狸 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Even a weak or desperate person will fight back fiercely when pushed to their limits or cornered”. Literally, “A cornered rat bites the cat”.

Frequency

穷鼠啮狸 Pronunciation and Pinyin

穷鼠啮狸 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
穷
qióng7poor, exhausted, investigate
鼠
shǔ13mouse or rat
啮
niè11bite or gnaw
狸
lí10raccoon dog or civet

Example Sentence with 穷鼠啮狸

即使是最温和的人,一旦被逼到绝境,也会穷鼠啮狸,奋起反抗。
Even the mildest person, once driven to desperation, will fight back like a cornered rat.

Idioms Related to 穷鼠啮狸

Synonyms of 穷鼠啮狸

  • kùn困shòu兽yóu犹dòu斗A cornered animal fights desperately
  • gǒu狗jí急tiào跳qiáng墙desperate people take extreme measures

More idioms starting with 穷

  • qióng穷bù不yǔ与fù富dòu斗,,fù富bù不yǔ与guān官dòu斗poor can't fight rich, rich can't fight officials
  • qióng穷bù不shī失yì义Poor but righteous
  • qióng穷qiě且yì益jiān坚adversity strengthens character
  • qióng穷xiāng乡pì僻rǎng壤remote and backward place
  • qióng穷chǐ侈jí极shē奢extremely extravagant and luxurious
  • qióng穷chǐ侈jí极yù欲live in extreme luxury and indulgence
  • qióng穷ér儿zhà乍fù富poor person suddenly becomes wealthy
  • qióng穷ér儿bào暴fù富poor child suddenly rich
  • qióng穷guāng光dàn蛋a penniless person
  • qióng穷bīng兵jí极wǔ武exhaust military resources for aggressive wars
  • qióng穷bīng兵dú黩wǔ武exhaust military resources in aggressive warfare
  • qióng穷xiōng凶jí极è恶utterly vicious and ruthless

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Questions about 穷鼠啮狸

What does 穷鼠啮狸 mean?

穷鼠啮狸 (qióng shǔ niè lí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Even a weak or desperate person will fight back fiercely when pushed to their limits or cornered”.

How do you pronounce 穷鼠啮狸?

穷鼠啮狸 is pronounced qióng shǔ niè lí in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 穷鼠啮狸 literally mean?

Literally, 穷鼠啮狸 means “a cornered rat bites the cat”. It is used to mean “Even a weak or desperate person will fight back fiercely when pushed to their limits or cornered”.

What is the Chinese definition of 穷鼠啮狸?

啮:咬;狸:狸猫。无路可逃的老鼠也会咬猫。比喻受人欺压,虽然敌不过,也会拼死抵抗。

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