強弩之末

Chinese

		strength; force; power strength; force; power; powerful; better	cross-bow	's; him/her/it; this	end; final stage; latter part
trad. (強弩之末)		強	弩	之	末
simp. (强弩之末)		强	弩	之	末
alternative forms		彊弩之末／强弩之末

Etymology

From the Book of Han:

且臣聞之，衝風之衰，不能起毛羽；彊弩之末，力不能入魯縞。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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且臣闻之，冲风之衰，不能起毛羽；强弩之末，力不能入鲁缟。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Book of Han, circa 1^st century CE

Qiě chén wén zhī, chōngfēng zhī shuāi, bùnéng qǐ máoyǔ; qiángnǔzhīmò, lì bùnéng rù lǔgǎo. [Pinyin]

(please add an English translation of this usage example)

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): qiángnǔzhīmò

  (Zhuyin): ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄋㄨˇ ㄓ ㄇㄛˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): koeng⁴ nou⁵ zi¹ mut⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: qiángnǔzhīmò
    • Zhuyin: ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄋㄨˇ ㄓ ㄇㄛˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: ciángnǔjhihmò
    • Wade–Giles: chʻiang²-nu³-chih¹-mo⁴
    • Yale: chyáng-nǔ-jr̄-mwò
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chyangnuujymoh
    • Palladius: цяннучжимо (cjannučžimo)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ³⁵ nu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ mu̯ɔ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: koeng⁴ nou⁵ zi¹ mut⁶
    • Yale: kèuhng nóuh jī muht
    • Cantonese Pinyin: koeng⁴ nou⁵ dzi¹ mut⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: kêng⁴ nou⁵ ji¹ mud⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰœːŋ²¹ nou̯¹³ t͡siː⁵⁵ muːt̚²/

Idiom

強弩之末

1. (figurative) exhausted strength; spent force; strong force that has been exhausted