抱頭鼠竄

See also: 抱头鼠窜

Chinese

		to cover up one's head with one's hands	to scurry off like a rat
trad. (抱頭鼠竄)		抱頭	鼠竄
simp. (抱头鼠窜)		抱头	鼠窜
Literally: “to cover up one's head with one's hands (ducking for cover), and scurry off like a rat”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): bàotóu-shǔcuàn

  (Zhuyin): ㄅㄠˋ ㄊㄡˊ ㄕㄨˇ ㄘㄨㄢˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): pou⁵ tau⁴ syu² cyun³

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: bàotóu-shǔcuàn
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄠˋ ㄊㄡˊ ㄕㄨˇ ㄘㄨㄢˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: bàotóushǔcuàn
    • Wade–Giles: pao⁴-tʻou²-shu³-tsʻuan⁴
    • Yale: bàu-tóu-shǔ-tswàn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bawtourshuutsuann
    • Palladius: баотоушуцуань (baotoušucuanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɑʊ̯⁵¹ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰu̯än⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: pou⁵ tau⁴ syu² cyun³
    • Yale: póuh tàuh syú chyun
    • Cantonese Pinyin: pou⁵ tau⁴ sy² tsyn³
    • Guangdong Romanization: pou⁵ teo⁴ xu² qun³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰou̯¹³ tʰɐu̯²¹ syː³⁵ t͡sʰyːn³³/

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• Middle Chinese: bawX duw syoX tshwanH|tshwan

Rime
Character	抱	頭	鼠	竄	竄
Reading #	1/1	1/1	1/1	1/2	2/2
Initial (聲)	並 (3)	定 (7)	書 (26)	清 (14)	清 (14)
Final (韻)	豪 (89)	侯 (137)	魚 (22)	桓 (62)	桓 (62)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Level (Ø)	Rising (X)	Departing (H)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open	Open	Closed	Closed
Division (等)	I	I	III	I	I
Fanqie	薄浩切	度侯切	舒吕切	七亂切	七丸切
Baxter	bawX	duw	syoX	tshwanH	tshwan
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/bɑuX/	/dəu/	/ɕɨʌX/	/t͡sʰuɑnH/	/t͡sʰuɑn/
Pan Wuyun	/bɑuX/	/dəu/	/ɕiɔX/	/t͡sʰʷɑnH/	/t͡sʰʷɑn/
Shao Rongfen	/bɑuX/	/dəu/	/ɕiɔX/	/t͡sʰuɑnH/	/t͡sʰuɑn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/bawX/	/dəw/	/ɕɨə̆X/	/t͡sʰwanH/	/t͡sʰwan/
Li Rong	/bɑuX/	/du/	/ɕiɔX/	/t͡sʰuɑnH/	/t͡sʰuɑn/
Wang Li	/bɑuX/	/dəu/	/ɕĭoX/	/t͡sʰuɑnH/	/t͡sʰuɑn/
Bernard Karlgren	/bʱɑuX/	/dʱə̯u/	/ɕi̯woX/	/t͡sʰuɑnH/	/t͡sʰuɑn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	bào	tóu	shǔ	cuàn	cuān
Expected Cantonese Reflex	bou6	tau4	syu2	cyun3	cyun1

Idiom

抱頭鼠竄

1. to flee like a scared rabbit; to scurry away like a rat

   • 夫陸賈天下之辯士，吾前日遣之，智窮辭屈，抱頭鼠竄，顛狽而歸，僅以身免。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     夫陆贾天下之辩士，吾前日遣之，智穷辞屈，抱头鼠窜，颠狈而归，仅以身免。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Song dynasty, Su Shi, 《代侯公說項羽辭》

     Fú Lù Gǔ tiānxià zhī biànshì, wú qiánrì qiǎn zhī, zhìqióng cíqū, bàotóushǔcuàn, diānbèi ér guī, jǐnyǐshēnmiǎn. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)