Chinese education begins with characters, continues with phrases, and grows into idioms. This free lesson covers the idiom 「窮鼠齧狸」. Learn its usage below.
The Chinese idiom 「窮鼠齧狸」 we’re introducing today is explained in detail below, along with its meaning and usage.
Gnaw: to bite; raccoon: civet cat. Even a mouse with nowhere to escape will bite a cat. It is a metaphor that when being bullied, even though one cannot defeat the enemy, one will still fight to the death.
The Mandarin pronunciation of this idiom is :
qióng shǔ niè lí
while its Cantonese pinyin is :
kung4 syu2 ngit6 lei4
Chinese idioms are vast in number, each carrying unique meanings and usages. With such variety, there’s a lot to learn and appreciate. Hopefully, these resources will aid you on your journey to mastering Chinese.
