羊肠小道
羊肠小道 (yáng cháng xiǎo dào) literally means “a path like a sheep's gut” and expresses “a narrow, winding, difficult road”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.
Also searched as: yang chang xiao dao, yang chang xiao dao,羊肠小道 meaning, 羊肠小道 in english
A narrow, winding, difficult road
Pronunciation: yáng cháng xiǎo dào Literal meaning: A path like a sheep's gut
Origin & Usage
Chinese has no gentler way of saying that a road is bad. The image is anatomical and exact — the winding, doubling coil of a sheep's (羊) intestine (肠), giving a small (小) road (道) — and it was applied first to real mountain tracks in the north, where the passes turn back on themselves so often that distance stops meaning anything. Writers extended it early to any course that is technically passable and practically punishing, and it still carries that double sense: not blocked, merely narrow, slow, and shaped so that you cannot see far enough ahead to know how much of it is left.
Examples
English: "The route up the mountain narrowed until it was barely a track."
Chinese: 山间只有一条羊肠小道。
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about life philosophy
亡羊得牛
wáng yáng dé niú
A small loss that yields a greater gain
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羚羊挂角
líng yáng guà jiǎo
Artistry that leaves no trace
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歧路亡羊
qí lù wáng yáng
Too many choices lead nowhere
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羊质虎皮
yáng zhì hǔ pí
Imposing outside, timid within
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虎入羊群
hǔ rù yáng qún
Unstoppable force against the defenceless
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挂羊头卖狗肉
guà yáng tóu mài gǒu ròu
Advertise one thing and deliver another
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亡羊补牢
wáng yáng bǔ láo
Never too late to fix
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顺手牵羊
shùn shǒu qiān yáng
Exploit small opportunities
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 羊肠小道 mean in English?
羊肠小道 (yáng cháng xiǎo dào) literally translates to “A path like a sheep's gut” and is used to express “A narrow, winding, difficult road”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.
When is 羊肠小道 used?
Situation: The route up the mountain narrowed until it was barely a track.
What is the pinyin for 羊肠小道?
The pinyin pronunciation for 羊肠小道 is “yáng cháng xiǎo dào”.
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