斷臂

Chinese

		to break; to judge; absolutely to break; to judge; absolutely; decidedly	arm
trad. (斷臂)		斷	臂
simp. (断臂)		断	臂

Etymology

“sincerity of a Buddhist monk”: From the legend of Dazu Huike.

“integrity of a chaste woman”: From a story in the Historical Records of the Five Dynasties.

“(male) homosexuality”: From 斷背／断背 (duànbèi). See there for more.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): duànbì

(Zhuyin): ㄉㄨㄢˋ ㄅㄧˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): dyun⁶ bei³

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: duànbì
  - Zhuyin: ㄉㄨㄢˋ ㄅㄧˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: duànbì
  - Wade–Giles: tuan⁴-pi⁴
  - Yale: dwàn-bì
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: duannbih
  - Palladius: дуаньби (duanʹbi)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tu̯än⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong–Macau)⁺
  - Jyutping: dyun⁶ bei³
  - Yale: dyuhn bei
  - Cantonese Pinyin: dyn⁶ bei³
  - Guangdong Romanization: dün⁶ béi³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tyːn²² pei̯³³/

Verb

斷臂

(literally) to cut off the arm
(figurative, literary) A metaphor for the sincerity of a Buddhist monk in search of the Buddha's truth.
(figurative, literary) A metaphor for the integrity of a woman striving to maintain her chastity.
(figurative) A metaphor for homosexuality, especially between males.

Derived terms

壯士斷臂 / 壮士断臂
斷臂山 / 断臂山
斷臂情 / 断臂情
斷臂燃身 / 断臂燃身
斷臂立雪 / 断臂立雪
立雪斷臂 / 立雪断臂

See also

斷袖／断袖 (duànxiù)
斷背／断背 (duànbèi)

Noun

斷臂

(figurative) male homosexuality or homosexual

Adjective

斷臂

(figurative) homosexual; gay