防不胜防 (fáng bù shèng fáng) — impossible to defend effectively / cannot guard against every attack

Definition

Chengyu meaning 'impossible to defend against effectively' — the threats or attacks are so many or so clever that guarding against them all is hopeless.

idiom
impossible to defend effectively / cannot guard against every attack

Examples

  • ，。
    Zài wǎng luò shí dài, gè zhǒng wǎng luò gōng jī ràng rén fáng bù shèng fáng.
    In the internet age, various online attacks are impossible to defend against.
  • ，防不胜防。
    Duì fāng qiú duì de jìn gōng shí fēn měng liè, zhēn shì fáng bù shèng fáng.
    The opposing team's offense was so fierce that it was truly impossible to defend against.
  • ，防不胜防。
    Miàn duì céng chū bù qióng de yáo yán, gōng zhòng wǎng wǎng gǎn dào fáng bù shèng fáng.
    Faced with an endless stream of rumors, the public often feels helpless to defend against them.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng防fáng
Same sound today

防 pairs 阝 (written fully as 阜) with 方, which gives the sound.

Open 防 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
生
生shēng胜shèng
Same sound today

The simplified 胜 changes the traditional 勝 by replacing part of its sound side with 生; the left 肉 relates to meat.

Open 胜 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng防fáng
Same sound today

防 pairs 阝 (written fully as 阜) with 方, which gives the sound.

Open 防 →

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