霸王硬上弓
Chinese
Xiang Yu | hard; stiff; strong hard; stiff; strong; firm | up; on; on top up; on; on top; upon; first; previous or last; upper; higher; above; previous; to climb; to go into; to go up | a bow (weapon) | ||
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trad. (霸王硬上弓) | 霸王 | 硬 | 上 | 弓 | |
simp. #(霸王硬上弓) | 霸王 | 硬 | 上 | 弓 | |
Literally: “Xiang Yu (the overlord) attaches the bowstring”. |
Etymology
It is said that the mighty leader Xiang Yu could bend a bow and attach the string with only one hand.
Pronunciation
Idiom
霸王硬上弓
- (figuratively) to do something by force
- (euphemistic) to force oneself upon; to rape