CHENGYU
狗急跳墙(gǒu jí tiào qiáng)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral
- Source:
- 《敦煌变文集·燕子赋》
MEANING
- Literal
- a cornered dog will jump over the wall
- Figurative meaning
- a desperate person will take reckless risks
ORIGIN STORY
From a Tang dynasty tale in the Dunhuang manuscripts: "A man in trouble burns incense; a dog in trouble leaps the wall." Cornered creatures, human or not, do what they would never dare before.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“a cornered beast will fight”
EXAMPLES
别把人逼急了，小心他狗急跳墙。Bié bǎ rén bī jí le, xiǎoxīn tā gǒu jí tiào qiáng.HSK6
Do not corner him — a desperate man may jump the wall like a hounded dog.
欠了这么多债，他可能会狗急跳墙。Qiàn le zhème duō zhài, tā kěnéng huì gǒu jí tiào qiáng.HSK6
With debts this heavy, he might do something reckless in desperation.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It explains reckless behavior as the result of desperation, not of anger or courage.
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01