投鼠忌器
Chinese
| to throw; to send | rat; mouse | avoid as taboo; jealous | device; tool; utensil | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (投鼠忌器) | 投 | 鼠 | 忌 | 器 | |
| simp. #(投鼠忌器) | 投 | 鼠 | 忌 | 器 | |
| Literally: “to hesitate to pelt a rat for fear of smashing the dishes beside it; spare the rat to save the dishes”. | |||||
Pronunciation
- Mandarin
- Cantonese (Jyutping): tau4 syu2 gei6 hei3
- Southern Min (Teochew, Peng'im): dao5 ce2 gi6 ki3
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Hanyu Pinyin: tóushǔjìqì
- Zhuyin: ㄊㄡˊ ㄕㄨˇ ㄐㄧˋ ㄑㄧˋ
- Tongyong Pinyin: tóushǔjìcì
- Wade–Giles: tʻou2-shu3-chi4-chʻi4
- Yale: tóu-shǔ-jì-chì
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tourshuujihchih
- Palladius: тоушуцзици (toušuczici)
- Sinological IPA (key): /tʰoʊ̯³⁵ ʂu²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹/
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: tau4 syu2 gei6 hei3
- Yale: tàuh syú geih hei
- Cantonese Pinyin: tau4 sy2 gei6 hei3
- Guangdong Romanization: teo4 xu2 géi6 héi3
- Sinological IPA (key): /tʰɐu̯²¹ syː³⁵ kei̯²² hei̯³³/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Southern Min
- (Teochew)
- Peng'im: dao5 ce2 gi6 ki3
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tâu tshṳ́ kĭ khì
- Sinological IPA (key): /tau⁵⁵⁻¹¹ t͡sʰɯ⁵²⁻³⁵ ki³⁵⁻¹¹ kʰi²¹³/
- (Teochew)
Idiom
投鼠忌器
Synonyms
- 投鼠之忌
- 擲鼠忌器／掷鼠忌器