抱头鼠窜

抱頭鼠竄
bàotóu-shǔcuàn
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 to cover one's head and scurry off like a rat
  2. 2 to flee in shameful panic

Examples

HSK 4
Dírén bèi dǎ de bàotóu-shǔcuàn.
The enemy was beaten so badly they scurried off like rats with their heads covered.
HSK 7-9
Yì tīngdào jǐngdíshēng, xiǎotōu lìkè bàotóu-shǔcuàn.
At the sound of the siren, the thief scurried away in panic.

Tips

history
From 《汉书·蒯通传》: after quarreling with his sworn brother Chen Yu, Changshan king Zhang Er (张耳) 'clutched his head and fled like a rat' to join Liu Bang. The phrase became a stock description of defeated enemies routed from the field.

Stroke Order

bào
tóu
shǔ
cuàn