📖 Meaning
示 means to show or display. This idiom describes being unwilling to show oneself as inferior to others, indicating a determination to compete and prove who is better. It characterizes someone who refuses to admit defeat and insists on rising to the challenge.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from Lu Xun's essay collection 《且介亭杂文附集·我的第一个师父》 (My First Master), written during the Republican era of China. In the essay, Lu Xun recounts how someone in the audience began cursing, and his master, unwilling to show weakness, cursed right back at them. The vivid scene gave rise to the phrase, which has since become a common expression for refusing to be outdone by others.
💡 Example Usage
在这次比赛中，他不甘示弱，奋力追赶对手。
In this competition, unwilling to show weakness, he pushed hard to catch up with his opponents.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 不甘示弱
- Pinyin: bù gān shì ruò
- Literal Translation: not, willing, to, show, weakness
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4