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强扭的瓜不甜

qiǎng niǔ de guā bù tiándictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. if you have to use force to break a melon off the vine, it won't taste sweet (because it's only when the melon is ripe that it can be removed with just a slight twist) (idiom) / fig. if sth is not meant to be, it's no use trying to force it to happen
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-283baa70482943b1. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

強扭的瓜不甜 强扭的瓜不甜 [qiang3 niu3 de5 gua1 bu4 tian2] /lit. if you have to use force to break a melon off the vine, it won't taste sweet (because it's only when the melon is ripe that it can be removed with just a slight twist) (idiom)/fig. if sth is not meant to be, it's no use trying to force it to happen/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 強扭的瓜不甜

  • 强
    jiàng

    stubborn / unyielding

    qiáng

    strong / powerful / better / slightly more than / vigorous / violent / best in their category, e.g. see 百強|百强[bǎi qiáng]

    qiǎng

    to force / to compel / to strive / to make an effort

    Qiáng

    surname Qiang

  • 扭
    niǔ

    to turn / to twist / to wring / to sprain / to swing one's hips

  • 的
    de

    of / ~'s (possessive particle) / (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) / (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) / (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的[pí gé de] "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的|跑堂儿的[pǎo táng r de] "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的[xīn de] "new one") / also pr. [dì] or [di] in poetry and songs

    dī

    (bound form) a taxi / a cab (abbr. for 的士[dī shì])

    dí

    really and truly

    dì

    (bound form) bull's-eye / target

  • 瓜
    guā

    melon / gourd / squash / (slang) a piece of gossip

  • 不
    bù

    no / not so / (bound form) not / un-

  • 甜
    tián

    sweet / (fig.) pleasant / endearing / lovely

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.