負隅頑抗

Chinese

		lose; negative (maths, etc.); to bear lose; negative (maths, etc.); to bear; to carry (on one's back)	corner	to stubbornly resist
trad. (負隅頑抗)		負	隅	頑抗
simp. (负隅顽抗)		负	隅	顽抗
alternative forms		負嵎頑抗／负嵎顽抗

Etymology

A tale from Mencius:

晉人有馮婦者，善搏虎，卒為善士。則之野，有眾逐虎。虎負嵎，莫之敢攖。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

晋人有冯妇者，善搏虎，卒为善士。则之野，有众逐虎。虎负嵎，莫之敢撄。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

Jìn rén yǒu Féng Fù zhě, shàn bó hǔ, zú wéi shànshì. Zé zhī yě, yǒu zhòng zhú hǔ. Hǔ fù yú, mò zhī gǎn yīng. [Pinyin]

[…] There was a man named Feng Fu in Jin, famous for his skill in seizing tigers. Afterwards he became a scholar of reputation, and going once out to the wild country, he found the people all in pursuit of a tiger. The tiger took refuge in a corner of a hill, where no one dared to attack him.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): fùyúwánkàng

  (Zhuyin): ㄈㄨˋ ㄩˊ ㄨㄢˊ ㄎㄤˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): fu⁶ jyu⁴ waan⁴ kong³

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: fùyúwánkàng
    • Zhuyin: ㄈㄨˋ ㄩˊ ㄨㄢˊ ㄎㄤˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: fùyúwánkàng
    • Wade–Giles: fu⁴-yü²-wan²-kʻang⁴
    • Yale: fù-yú-wán-kàng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: fuhyuwankanq
    • Palladius: фуюйванькан (fujujvanʹkan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fu⁵¹ y³⁵ wän³⁵ kʰɑŋ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: fu⁶ jyu⁴ waan⁴ kong³
    • Yale: fuh yùh wàahn kong
    • Cantonese Pinyin: fu⁶ jy⁴ waan⁴ kong³
    • Guangdong Romanization: fu⁶ yu⁴ wan⁴ kong³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fuː²² jyː²¹ waːn²¹ kʰɔːŋ³³/

Idiom

負隅頑抗

1. (figurative) to make a last-ditch fight (relying on a strategically inaccessible place or other conditions)