The New Dictionary.
Search dictionary
Chinese/Dictionary entry

熊腰虎背

xióng yāo hǔ bèidictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
waist of a bear and back of a tiger / tough and stocky build
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-410a3ad8906e68ab. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

熊腰虎背 熊腰虎背 [xiong2 yao1 hu3 bei4] /waist of a bear and back of a tiger/tough and stocky build/

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.

  • 熊
    xióng

    bear / (coll.) to scold / to rebuke / (coll.) weak / incapable

    Xióng

    surname Xiong

  • 腰
    yāo

    the waist and lower back / (bound form) kidney of an animal (as food) / the waist of trousers or a skirt / (metonym) money pouch / pocket / (bound form) the middle section of an upright object (mountain, bottle etc)

  • 虎
    hǔ

    tiger / CL:隻|只[zhī]

  • 背
    bēi

    to carry on one's back / (fig.) to bear / to shoulder (a burden, blame etc)

    bèi

    the back of a body or object / to turn one's back / to hide something from / to learn by heart / to recite from memory / (slang) unlucky / hard of hearing

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.