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Chinese
|
|
take unfair advantage of; to deceive; to cheat
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soft; flexible
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to be afraid; to fear
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hard; stiff; strong hard; stiff; strong; firm |
| trad. (欺軟怕硬)
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欺
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軟
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怕
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硬
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| simp. (欺软怕硬)
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欺
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软
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怕
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硬
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Etymology
First attested in c. 1300 as 怕硬欺軟 / 怕硬欺软, in Yuan drama The Injustice to Dou E penned by Guan Hanqing:
天地也，做得個怕硬欺軟，卻元來也這般順水推船。
天地也，做得个怕硬欺软，却元来也这般顺水推船。 - From: c. 1300, 關漢卿,《竇娥冤》
- Tiāndì yě, zuò de ge pàyìngqīruǎn, què yuánlái yě zhèbān shùnshuǐtuīchuán.
- Oh, Heaven and Earth, you laud the strong and trash the weak. All along you’re just going with the flow.
Pronunciation
Idiom
欺軟怕硬
- to bully the weak but fear the strong
Synonyms