冤家路窄

Chinese

		enemy; foe; opponent enemy; foe; opponent; sweetheart; destined love	road; path; way	narrow
trad. (冤家路窄)		冤家	路	窄
simp. #(冤家路窄)		冤家	路	窄
Literally: “the road is narrow for bitter enemies”.

Etymology

From the novel Journey to the West.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yuānjiālùzhǎi

  (Zhuyin): ㄩㄢ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄌㄨˋ ㄓㄞˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jyun¹ gaa¹ lou⁶ zaak³

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yuānjiālùzhǎi
    • Zhuyin: ㄩㄢ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄌㄨˋ ㄓㄞˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yuanjialùjhǎi
    • Wade–Giles: yüan¹-chia¹-lu⁴-chai³
    • Yale: ywān-jyā-lù-jǎi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: iuanjialuhjae
    • Palladius: юаньцзялучжай (juanʹczjalučžaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɥɛn⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ lu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: jyun¹ gaa¹ lou⁶ zaak³
    • Yale: yūn gā louh jaak
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jyn¹ gaa¹ lou⁶ dzaak⁸
    • Guangdong Romanization: yun¹ ga¹ lou⁶ zag³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jyːn⁵⁵ kaː⁵⁵ lou̯²² t͡saːk̚³/

Idiom

冤家路窄

1. much as one wants to, one cannot avoid one's enemy