負隅頑抗

Chinese

	lose; negative (math. etc.); to bear lose; negative (math. 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)⁺
  - 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

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