虎視眈眈

See also: 虎视眈眈

Chinese

		to eye covetously; to stare down	glaring; staring
trad. (虎視眈眈)		虎視	眈眈
simp. (虎视眈眈)		虎视	眈眈

Etymology

From I Ching, Hexagram 27 (《易经·頤卦》):

六四：顛頤，吉，虎視眈眈，其欲逐逐，无咎。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

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六四：颠颐，吉，虎视眈眈，其欲逐逐，无咎。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: I Ching, 11^th – 8^th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Liùsì: diān yí, jí, hǔshì dāndān, qí yù zhúzhú, wú jiù. [Pinyin]

The fourth SIX, divided, shows one looking downwards for (the power to) nourish. There will be good fortune. Looking with a tiger's downward unwavering glare, and with his desire that impels him to spring after spring, he will fall into no error.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): hǔshìdāndān

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄨˇ ㄕˋ ㄉㄢ ㄉㄢ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): fu² si⁶ daam¹ daam¹
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): hó͘-sī-tam-tam

  (Teochew, Peng'im): houn² si⁶ dam¹ dam¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: hǔshìdāndān
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄨˇ ㄕˋ ㄉㄢ ㄉㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: hǔshìhdandan
    • Wade–Giles: hu³-shih⁴-tan¹-tan¹
    • Yale: hǔ-shr̀-dān-dān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: huushyhdandan
    • Palladius: хушиданьдань (xušidanʹdanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ tän⁵⁵ tän⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: fu² si⁶ daam¹ daam¹
    • Yale: fú sih dāam dāam
    • Cantonese Pinyin: fu² si⁶ daam¹ daam¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: fu² xi⁶ dam¹ dam¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fuː³⁵ siː²² taːm⁵⁵ taːm⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hó͘-sī-tam-tam
    • Tâi-lô: hóo-sī-tam-tam
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hofsixdamdafm
    • IPA (Xiamen): /hɔ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ si²²⁻²¹ tam⁴⁴⁻²² tam⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /hɔ⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ si⁴¹⁻²² tam³³ tam³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /hɔ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ si²²⁻²¹ tam⁴⁴⁻²² tam⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /hɔ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ si³³⁻¹¹ tam⁴⁴⁻³³ tam⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /hɔ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ si³³⁻²¹ tam⁴⁴⁻³³ tam⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: houn² si⁶ dam¹ dam¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: hóuⁿ sĭ tam tam
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hõũ⁵²⁻³⁵ si³⁵⁻¹¹ tam³³⁻²³ tam³³/

Idiom

虎視眈眈

1. to glare like a tiger watching its prey; to glare at with fierceness; to keep a vigilant eye on; to eye covetously

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (虎視眈眈):

• → Japanese: 虎(こ)視(し)眈(たん)々(たん) (koshitantan)
• → Korean: 호시탐탐(虎視眈眈) (hositamtam)
• → Vietnamese: hổ thị đam đam (虎視眈眈)