Dictionary › 穷鼠啮狸

穷鼠啮狸

qióng shǔ niè lí

4-character word Traditional 窮鼠嚙狸

What 穷鼠啮狸 means

1. a desperate rat will bite the fox (idiom); the smallest worm will turn being trodden on

The characters in 穷鼠啮狸

• 穷qióngpoor; destitute; to use up
• 鼠shǔ(bound form) rat; mouse
• 啮nièto gnaw; to erode
• 狸lí(bound form) used in the names of small mammals

Example sentences

• 穷鼠啮狸。
  Qióng shǔ niè lí.
  A cornered rat will bite a cat.