老鼠过街，人人喊打 lǎo shǔ guò jiē ， rén rén hǎn dǎ

fig. everyone detests a lowlife

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. fig. everyone detests a lowlife
  2. 2. lit. when a rat crosses the street, people chase it down (idiom)

Characters

Character Meaning
老 lǎo HSK 1
old (of people)
鼠 shǔ HSK 5
mouse; rat
过 guò HSK 2
to cross; to go over; to pass (time)
街 jiē HSK 3
street
人 rén HSK 1
person; people; man
人 rén HSK 1
person; people; man
喊 hǎn HSK 5
to shout; to yell; to call out for (a person)
打 dǎ HSK 1
to hit; to strike; to beat