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不屈不挠 (bù qū bù náo) — unyielding; indomitable (describes refusal to give in to pressure or difficulty)

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'unyielding / indomitable' — refuses to give in no matter the pressure. Carries a heroic, almost epic tone, used for struggles and enduring spirits.

idiom
unyieldingindomitable (describes refusal to give in to pressure or difficulty)

Examples

  • ，不屈不挠。
    Miàn duì kùn nan, tā shǐ zhōng bù qū bù náo.
    In the face of difficulty, he has always been unyielding.
  • 不屈不挠。
    Zhōng guó rén mín bù qū bù náo de jīng shén zhí dé jìng pèi.
    The indomitable spirit of the Chinese people deserves admiration.
  • 不屈不挠，。
    Jīng guò bù qū bù náo de dòu zhēng, tā men zhōng yú yíng dé le shèng lì.
    After an unyielding struggle, they finally won the victory.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

不屈not bend
不bùnot屈qūbend
偏正Modifier + head
不挠not yield
不bùnot挠náoyield
偏正Modifier + head

不 屈 gives not bending, and 不 挠 gives not yielding, so the sense is refusing to give in.

Characters in this word

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
尾尾wěitail
Sound part声符shēngfú
出
出chū屈qū
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

屈 was built from 出 for sound and 尾 for tail; the tail part later changed into the top of 屈.

Open 屈 →

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 撓; 挠 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
堯
堯yáo撓náo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 撓 pairs 扌 (hand) with 堯 to give the sound; the simplified 挠 is a later shorthand.

Open 挠 →
Appears in
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