Our mission is to provide free tools for learning Chinese. This series explores idioms and proverbs, meaningful phrases worth knowing. Today’s idiom: 「鉤心鬥角」.
Today’s spotlight is on the Chinese idiom 「鉤心鬥角」. You’ll find its explanation and usage below.
Heart: the center of the palace; corner: the corner of the eaves. Originally it refers to the intricate and exquisite structure of palace buildings. Later it is used as a metaphor for using all one’s efforts to fight openly and secretly.
The Mandarin pronunciation of this idiom is :
gōu xīn dòu jiǎo
while its Cantonese pinyin is :
ngau1 sam1 dau3 gok3
Chinese idioms, with their vast variety, hold different meanings and uses. Their abundance makes studying them rewarding, and these materials are here to help you along the way.
