冥頑不化

Chinese

		dark; deep	mischievous; obstinate; to play mischievous; obstinate; to play; stupid; stubborn; naughty	not; no	to make into; to change into; ‑ization to make into; to change into; ‑ization; to ... ‑ize; to transform
trad. (冥頑不化)		冥	頑	不	化
simp. (冥顽不化)		冥	顽	不	化

Etymology

First attested in 1517, in Wang Yangming's 《告諭浰頭巢賊》

我每爲爾等思念及此，輒至於終夜不能安寢，亦無非欲爲爾等尋一生路。惟是爾等冥頑不化，然後不得已而興兵，此則“非我殺之，乃天殺之”也。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]

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我每为尔等思念及此，辄至于终夜不能安寝，亦无非欲为尔等寻一生路。惟是尔等冥顽不化，然后不得已而兴兵，此则“非我杀之，乃天杀之”也。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

Wǒ měi wèi ěrděng sīniàn jí cǐ, zhé zhìyú zhōngyè bùnéng ānqǐn, yì wúfēi yù wèi ěrděng xún yī shēnglù. Wéi shì ěrděng míngwánbùhuà, ránhòu bùdéyǐ ér xìngbīng, cǐ zé “fēi wǒ shā zhī, nǎi tiān shā zhī” yě. [Pinyin]

Whenever I think of you all, I am often unable to sleep through the night, solely because I wish to save your lives. However, it is because you remain obstinate and unrepentant that I am compelled to raise arms. Thus, it can be said, 'It is not I who have caused your death, but Heaven.'

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): míngwánbùhuà

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄨㄢˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄏㄨㄚˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ming⁵ waan⁴ bat¹ faa³

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: míngwánbùhuà [Phonetic: míngwánbúhuà]
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄨㄢˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄏㄨㄚˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: míngwánbùhuà
    • Wade–Giles: ming²-wan²-pu⁴-hua⁴
    • Yale: míng-wán-bù-hwà
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mingwanbuhuah
    • Palladius: минваньбухуа (minvanʹbuxua)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /miŋ³⁵ wän³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ xu̯ä⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: ming⁵ waan⁴ bat¹ faa³
    • Yale: míhng wàahn bāt fa
    • Cantonese Pinyin: ming⁵ waan⁴ bat⁷ faa³
    • Guangdong Romanization: ming⁵ wan⁴ bed¹ fa³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɪŋ¹³ waːn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ faː³³/

Idiom

冥頑不化

1. Synonym of 冥頑不靈 / 冥顽不灵 (míngwánbùlíng)