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窮鼠齧狸. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
窮鼠齧狸, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
窮鼠齧狸 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
窮鼠齧狸 you have here. The definition of the word
窮鼠齧狸 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
窮鼠齧狸, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Chinese
Etymology
From the Discourses on Salt and Iron (鹽鐵論·詔聖 / 盐铁论·诏圣):
死不再生，窮鼠嚙狸，匹夫奔萬乘，舍人折弓，陳勝、吳廣是也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
死不再生，穷鼠啮狸，匹夫奔万乘，舍人折弓，陈胜、吴广是也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]- From: Huan Kuan, Discourses on Salt and Iron, c. 1st century BCE
- Sǐ bù zàishēng, qióng shǔ niè lí, pǐfū bēn wànchéng, shèrén zhé gōng, Chén Shèng, Wú Guǎng shì yě.
- People cannot revive if they die, so a cornered rat will bite a cat; An ordinary man would go to assault the Emperor; A servant of a noble would destroy his bow. This is precisely the case of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang.
Pronunciation
Idiom
窮鼠齧狸
- (figurative) a cornered rat will bite a cat, weak people will attack when cornered
Synonyms
Descendants