前倨後恭

Chinese

		front, forepart; in front; past front, forepart; in front; past; former; previous; last; before; preceding; earlier; ago; future; time ahead; first; top; battlefront; to move forward	haughty; arrogant	back; behind; rear back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later	respectful
trad. (前倨後恭)		前	倨	後	恭
simp. (前倨后恭)		前	倨	后	恭

Etymology

Quoted from Su Qin, where he was ridiculng his sister-in-law for her attitude after he became famous:

蘇秦笑謂其嫂曰：「何前倨而後恭也？」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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苏秦笑谓其嫂曰：「何前倨而后恭也？」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

Sū Qín xiào wèi qí sǎo yuē: “Hé qián jù ér hòu gōng yě?” [Pinyin]

Su Qin smiled and said to his sister-in-law, “Why were you so arrogant in the past but so respectful to me now?”

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): qiánjùhòugōng

  (Zhuyin): ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄐㄩˋ ㄏㄡˋ ㄍㄨㄥ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): cin⁴ geoi³ hau⁶ gung¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: qiánjùhòugōng
    • Zhuyin: ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄐㄩˋ ㄏㄡˋ ㄍㄨㄥ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: ciánjyùhòugong
    • Wade–Giles: chʻien²-chü⁴-hou⁴-kung¹
    • Yale: chyán-jyù-hòu-gūng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chyanjiuhhowgong
    • Palladius: цяньцзюйхоугун (cjanʹczjujxougun)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵ t͡ɕy⁵¹⁻⁵³ xoʊ̯⁵¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: cin⁴ geoi³ hau⁶ gung¹
    • Yale: chìhn geui hauh gūng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsin⁴ goey³ hau⁶ gung¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: qin⁴ gêu³ heo⁶ gung¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰiːn²¹ kɵy̯³³ hɐu̯²² kʊŋ⁵⁵/

Idiom

前倨後恭

1. to change from arrogance to humility (describing behaviour of snobbish people)