勾心鬥角

Chinese

		affair; to reach for (with hand); to cancel affair; to reach for (with hand); to cancel; to delineate; hook	heart; mind	fight; contend; incite fight; contend; incite; meet; encounter	horn; angle; role horn; angle; role; actor; contend; horn-shaped; Chinese musical note
trad. (勾心鬥角)		勾	心	鬥	角
simp. (勾心斗角)		勾	心	斗	角
alternative forms		鉤心鬥角／钩心斗角

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): gōuxīndòujiǎo

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄡ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄉㄡˋ ㄐㄧㄠˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ngau¹ sam¹ dau³ gok³

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: gōuxīndòujiǎo
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄡ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄉㄡˋ ㄐㄧㄠˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: gousindòujiǎo
    • Wade–Giles: kou¹-hsin¹-tou⁴-chiao³
    • Yale: gōu-syīn-dòu-jyǎu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: goushindowjeau
    • Palladius: гоусиньдоуцзяо (gousinʹdouczjao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /koʊ̯⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ toʊ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: ngau¹ sam¹ dau³ gok³
    • Yale: ngāu sām dau gok
    • Cantonese Pinyin: ngau¹ sam¹ dau³ gok⁸
    • Guangdong Romanization: ngeo¹ sem¹ deo³ gog³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ŋɐu̯⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ tɐu̯³³ kɔːk̚³/

Idiom

勾心鬥角

1. (in palace construction)​ elaborate and refined

   • 五步一樓，十步一閣。廊腰縵迴，簷牙高啄，各抱地勢，鉤心鬥角。 [MSC, trad.]
     五步一楼，十步一阁。廊腰缦回，檐牙高啄，各抱地势，钩心斗角。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 唐·杜牧〈阿房宮賦〉

     Wǔ bù yī lóu, shí bù yī gé. Lángyāo màn huí, yányá gāo zhuó, gè bào dìshì, gōuxīndòujiǎo. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. to fight and scheme against each other