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Chinese/Dictionary entry

穷鼠啮狸

qióng shǔ niè lídictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
a desperate rat will bite the fox (idiom) / the smallest worm will turn being trodden on
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-c5f3992b3cc91332. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

窮鼠嚙狸 穷鼠啮狸 [qiong2 shu3 nie4 li2] /a desperate rat will bite the fox (idiom); the smallest worm will turn being trodden on/

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: 窮鼠嚙狸

  • 穷
    qióng

    poor / destitute / to use up / to exhaust / thoroughly / extremely / (coll.) persistently and pointlessly

  • 鼠
    shǔ

    (bound form) rat / mouse

  • 啮
    niè

    to gnaw / to erode

    Niè

    surname Nie

  • 狸
    lí

    (bound form) used in the names of small mammals

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.