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前怕狼後怕虎

简前怕狼后怕虎 · 繁前怕狼後怕虎

Mandarin · pinyin qián pà láng hòu pà hǔ

lit. to fear the wolf in front and the tiger behind (idiom)
fig. to be full of needless fears
reds under the beds

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Characters in this entry

前: qián · in front, forward; preceding
怕: pà · to fear, be afraid of; apprehensive
狼: láng · wolf
後: hòu · behind, rear, after; descendents
虎: hǔ · tiger; brave, fierce; surname
后: hòu · queen, empress, sovereign; (simp. for 後) behind, rear, after

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Mandarin tones

2–4–2–4–4–3 · qian2 pa4 lang2 hou4 pa4 hu3

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Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

cin4 paa3 long4 hau6 paa3 fu2

Cantonese word readings for 前怕狼後怕虎. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to be overly cautious and indecisive; to be plagued by fears

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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