窮鼠猫を噛む Entry Discussion Citations Language Download PDF Watch Edit Japanese edit Kanji in this term 窮 鼠 猫 噛 きゅう Grade: S そ Hyōgai ねこ Grade: S か Hyōgai Alternative spelling 窮鼠猫を嚙む (kyūjitai) Etymology edit Calque of Literary Chinese 窮鼠嚙狸 (qióngshǔ nièlí, literally “a cornered rat will bite a cat”), from the Discourses on Salt and Iron (鹽鐵論·詔聖 / 盐铁论·诏圣). Note that the character 狸 (lí) is replaced by 猫 in Japanese.

Proverb edit 窮きゅう鼠そ猫ねこを噛かむ • (kyūso neko o kamu)

a cornered rat will bite a cat, weak people will attack when cornered