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折腰

zhé yāo
Rare

Definitions

  1. 1. to bend at the waist
  2. 2. to bow
  3. 3. (fig.) to bow to
  4. 4. to submit

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Words Containing 折腰

为五斗米折腰
wèi wǔ dǒu mǐ zhé yāo

(allusion to Tao Qian 陶潛|陶潜[táo qián], who used this phrase when he resigned from government service rather than show subservience to a visiting inspector) to bow and scrape for five pecks of rice (that being a part of his salary as a local magistrate)

Child Words of 折腰

折
shé

to snap

折
zhē

to turn sth over

折
zhé

to break

腰
yāo

waist