縮頭烏龜

Chinese

		to withdraw; to pull back; to contract to withdraw; to pull back; to contract; to shrink; to reduce	head; (noun suffix)	turtle; tortoise; Mauremys reevesii
trad. (縮頭烏龜)		縮	頭	烏龜
simp. (缩头乌龟)		缩	头	乌龟
Literally: “turtle with its head in its shell”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): suōtóu wūguī

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄨㄛ ㄊㄡˊ ㄨ ㄍㄨㄟ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): so² tou² wu¹ gui¹

• Cantonese (Jyutping): suk¹ tau⁴ wu¹ gwai¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: suōtóu wūguī
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄨㄛ ㄊㄡˊ ㄨ ㄍㄨㄟ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: suotóu wuguei
    • Wade–Giles: so¹-tʻou² wu¹-kuei¹
    • Yale: swō-tóu wū-gwēi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: suotour uguei
    • Palladius: сотоу угуй (sotou uguj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /su̯ɔ⁵⁵ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ u⁵⁵ ku̯eɪ̯⁵⁵/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: so² tou² wu¹ gui¹
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: sotouwgui
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /so²¹ tʰəu²¹ vu⁵⁵ kuei⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: suk¹ tau⁴ wu¹ gwai¹
    • Yale: sūk tàuh wū gwāi
    • Cantonese Pinyin: suk⁷ tau⁴ wu¹ gwai¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: sug¹ teo⁴ wu¹ guei¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sʊk̚⁵ tʰɐu̯²¹ wuː⁵⁵ kʷɐi̯⁵⁵/

Noun

縮頭烏龜

1. (figurative) cowardly person; coward; ostrich

Synonyms

• 膽小鬼／胆小鬼 (dǎnxiǎoguǐ)
• 孱頭／孱头 (càntou)
• 懦夫 (nuòfū)
• (Sichuan) 孬火藥／孬火药
• (Cantonese) 冇膽鬼／冇胆鬼, 冇膽匪類／冇胆匪类
• (Hokkien) 懾屎跤／慑屎跤, 荏貨／荏货, 統雞／统鸡