狭路相逢 — “Meet on a narrow path”
狭路相逢 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to meet rivals or adversaries in a situation where confrontation is unavoidable and neither side is willing to yield; often refers to a showdown between hostile parties”. Literally, “meet on a narrow path”.
狭路相逢 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 狭xiá
- 路lù
- 相xiāng
- 逢féng
狭路相逢 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 狭路相逢
Origin and Story of 狭路相逢
In ancient times, there was a scholar from Yingqiu who was known for stirring up trouble and engaging in baseless arguments, often twisting illogical points into seemingly reasonable ones.
One day, he visited Ai Zi's home and asked why large carts and camels wore bells around their necks.
Ai Zi explained that it was to prevent them from meeting unexpectedly on a narrow path at night, which would make it impossible for them to avoid each other.
The Yingqiu scholar then proceeded to list many other peculiar examples, to which Ai Zi responded with witty sarcasm.
Idioms Related to 狭路相逢
Synonyms of 狭路相逢
Antonyms of 狭路相逢
Questions about 狭路相逢
- What does 狭路相逢 mean?
- 狭路相逢 (xiá lù xiāng féng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to meet rivals or adversaries in a situation where confrontation is unavoidable and neither side is willing to yield; often refers to a showdown between hostile parties”.
- How do you pronounce 狭路相逢?
- 狭路相逢 is pronounced xiá lù xiāng féng in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 狭路相逢 literally mean?
- Literally, 狭路相逢 means “meet on a narrow path”. It is used to mean “to meet rivals or adversaries in a situation where confrontation is unavoidable and neither side is willing to yield; often refers to a showdown between hostile parties”.
- Where does 狭路相逢 come from?
- 狭路相逢 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 狭路相逢?
- 在很窄的路上相遇，没有地方可让。后多用来指仇人相见，彼此都不肯轻易放过。