鼠辈 (shǔbèi): scoundrels

Meanings

1 scoundrels
2 lowlifes
3 rabble
4 riffraff (derogatory term for despicable people)

Characters

鼠

shǔ

rat/mouse (symbol of cowardice/slyness)

辈

bèi

generation/kind/type of person

Examples

这些鼠辈竟敢挑战英雄！

Zhèxiē shǔbèi jìng gǎn tiǎozhàn yīngxióng!

These scoundrels actually dare to challenge the hero!

英雄好汉不与鼠辈为伍。

Yīngxióng hǎohàn bù yǔ shǔbèi wéiwǔ.

True heroes do not associate with such lowlifes.

Tips

register

鼠辈 is a classical/literary insult, common in historical dramas and wuxia (martial arts) fiction. The image of rats/mice (鼠) suggests cowardly, sneaky, and despicable people. 辈 means 'generation/kind of person,' making 鼠辈 literally 'rat-kind' or 'the rat breed.' It sounds more theatrical than genuinely offensive in modern speech.