窮則思變

简 穷则思变 · 繁 窮則思變
Mandarin · pinyin qióng zé sī biàn

Meanings

  1. (idiom) when you hit bottom, you have to come up with a new approach
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Characters in this entry

窮
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則
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思
sī · think, consider, ponder; final particle
變
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穷
qióng · poor, destitute, impoverished
则
zé · rule, law, regulation; grades
变
biàn · change, transform, alter; rebel
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2–2–1–4 · qiong2 ze2 si1 bian4

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Compare dictionary sources 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

kung4 zak1 si1 bin3

Cantonese word readings for 窮則思變. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

窮則思變 · qiong2 ze2 si1 bian4
CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG · edition 2026-10-13 · source line 82,425
Original dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source & transformation details
Exact source record窮則思變 穷则思变 [qiong2 ze2 si1 bian4] /(idiom) when you hit bottom, you have to come up with a new approach/