老 鼠 lǎo shǔ rat / mouse / CL:隻|只[zhi1] 耗 子 hào zi (dialect) mouse / rat 大 鼠 dà shǔ rat 内 鬼 nèi guǐ mole / spy / rat / traitor 鼠 rat / mouse / CL:隻|只[zhi1] 子 son / child / seed / egg / small thing / 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.-1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the Rat / Viscount, fourth of five orders of nobility 五等爵位[wu3 deng3 jue2 wei4] / ancient Chinese compass point: 0° / (north) / subsidiary / subordinate / sub- 小 白 鼠 xiǎo bái shǔ white mouse / lab mouse / lab rat / (fig.) human guinea pig 落 汤 鸡 luò tāng jī a person who looks drenched and bedraggled / like a drowned rat / deep distress 抱 头 鼠 窜 bào tóu shǔ cuàn to cover one's head and sneak away like a rat (idiom) / to flee ignominiously 鼠 药 shǔ yào rat poison 鼠 窜 shǔ cuàn to scamper off / to scurry off like a frightened rat 内 卷 nèi juǎn (embryology) to involute / involution / (neologism c. 2017) (of a society) to become more and more of a rat race / to become increasingly competitive (due to limited resources) 灭 鼠 药 miè shǔ yào rat poison 投 鼠 忌 器 tóu shǔ jì qì lit. to refrain from shooting at the rat for fear of breaking the vases (idiom) / to not act against an evil so as to prevent harm to innocents 社 鼠 城 狐 shè shǔ chéng hú lit. rat in a country shrine, fox on town walls / fig. unprincipled thugs who abuse others' power to bully and exploit people 穷 鼠 啮 狸 qióng shǔ niè lí a desperate rat will bite the fox (idiom) / the smallest worm will turn being trodden on 鼠 年 shǔ nián Year of the Rat (e.g. 2008) 印 鼠 客 蚤 yìn shǔ kè zǎo oriental rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis) 子 鼠 zǐ shǔ Year 1, year of the Rat (e.g. 2008) 打 小 报 告 dǎ xiǎo bào gào (coll.) to tattletale / to rat on sb 抱 头 鼠 蹿 bào tóu shǔ cuān to cover one's head and sneak away like a rat (idiom) / to flee ignominiously / also written 抱頭鼠竄|抱头鼠窜 杀 鼠 药 shā shǔ yào rat poison 一 粒 老 鼠 屎 坏 了 一 锅 粥 yī lì lǎo shǔ shǐ huài le yī guō zhōu lit. one pellet of rat feces spoiled the whole pot of congee (idiom) / fig. one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch 一 颗 老 鼠 屎 坏 了 一 锅 汤 yī kē lǎo shǔ shǐ huài le yī guō tāng lit. one pellet of rat feces spoiled the whole pot of soup (idiom) / fig. one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch 鼭 a kind of rat 负 心 汉 fù xīn hàn traitor to one's love / heartless rat 老 鼠 过 街 ， 人 人 喊 打 lǎo shǔ guò jiē , rén rén hǎn dǎ lit. when a rat crosses the street, people chase it down (idiom) / fig. everyone detests a lowlife 獐 头 鼠 目 zhāng tóu shǔ mù lit. the head of a river deer and the eyes of a rat (idiom) / fig. repulsively ugly and shifty-looking 躺 平 tǎng píng to lie stretched out / (neologism c. 2021) to opt out of the rat race
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