📖 Meaning
This idiom means that the minority cannot overcome the majority. It describes a situation where a smaller number of people are unable to resist or override the will of a larger group. The idiom reflects the simple principle that numerical superiority generally prevails.
📜 Origin Story
No specific literary origin is recorded for this idiom. It is a folk proverb based on straightforward arithmetic reasoning, where three people cannot overpower six. The idiom has circulated colloquially in Chinese to express that the few must yield to the many. Its usage reflects the practical wisdom that minority dissent rarely overturns majority consensus.
💡 Example Usage
会议上三不拗六，他只好同意大家的方案。
At the meeting, the few could not prevail against the many, so he had no choice but to agree to everyone's plan.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 三不拗六
- Pinyin: sān bù niù liù
- Literal Translation: three, not, prevail against, six
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4