狼狽

See also: 狼狈

Chinese

	wolf	a legendary wolf; distressed; wretched
trad. (狼狽)	狼	狽
simp. (狼狈)	狼	狈
alternative forms	狼貝／狼贝狼䟺／狼𬦥狼跋䠭䟺／䠭𬦥獵跋／猎跋狼貝／狼贝狼䟺／狼𬦥狼跋䠭䟺／䠭𬦥獵跋／猎跋躐跋剌𣥠剌癶剌犮剌八

Etymology

An Old Chinese ideophone of the phonetic shape /*raːd(s) paːd(s) ~ *raːŋ paːd(s)/ (ZS), initially used to describe a limping or stumbling gait.

Folk etymology (as used by Tang-Dynasty Duan Chengshi) states that 狽／狈 (bèi) was a wolf-like animal in Chinese mythology, which had very short forelegs and long hind legs, and needed to mount a wolf in order to walk, so the two animals would always hunt together. This eventually led to the meaning of “to conspire”.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): lángbèi

(Zhuyin): ㄌㄤˊ ㄅㄟˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): long⁴ bui³
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): lòng-pi

(Hailu, HRS): long bui^ˇ
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): liông-pōe / lông-pōe
Wu (Suzhou, Wugniu): ⁶laon₂-pe₅

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: lángbèi
  - Zhuyin: ㄌㄤˊ ㄅㄟˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: lángbèi
  - Wade–Giles: lang²-pei⁴
  - Yale: láng-bèi
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: langbey
  - Palladius: ланбэй (lanbɛj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɑŋ³⁵ peɪ̯⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: long⁴ bui³
  - Yale: lòhng bui
  - Cantonese Pinyin: long⁴ bui³
  - Guangdong Romanization: long⁴ bui³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɔːŋ²¹ puːi̯³³/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: lòng-pi
  - Hakka Romanization System: long^ˇ bi
  - Hagfa Pinyim: long² bi⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /loŋ¹¹ pi⁵⁵/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: long bui^ˇ
  - Sinological IPA: /loŋ⁵⁵ pui¹¹/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, variant in Taiwan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: liông-pōe
  - Tâi-lô: liông-puē
  - Phofsit Daibuun: liongpoe
  - IPA (Xiamen): /liɔŋ²⁴⁻²² pue²²/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /liɔŋ²³⁻³³ pue³³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /liɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ pue³³/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /liɔŋ²⁴⁻²² pue⁴¹/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /liɔŋ¹³⁻²² pue²²/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, General Taiwanese, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lông-pōe
  - Tâi-lô: lông-puē
  - Phofsit Daibuun: longpoe
  - IPA (Xiamen): /lɔŋ²⁴⁻²² pue²²/
  - IPA (Taipei): /lɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ pue³³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /lɔŋ²³⁻³³ pue³³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /lɔŋ¹³⁻²² pue²²/
Wu
- (Northern: Suzhou)
  - Wugniu: ⁶laon₂-pe₅
  - MiniDict: laon^平 pe^去
  - Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /lɑ̃²³ pe¹¹/

Middle Chinese: lang pajH

Rime
Character	狼	狽
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	來 (37)	幫 (1)
Final (韻)	唐 (101)	泰 (25)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	I	I
Fanqie	魯當切	愽蓋切
Baxter	lang	pajH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/lɑŋ/	/pɑi^H/
Pan Wuyun	/lɑŋ/	/pɑi^H/
Shao Rongfen	/lɑŋ/	/pɑi^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/laŋ/	/paj^H/
Li Rong	/lɑŋ/	/pɑi^H/
Wang Li	/lɑŋ/	/pɑi^H/
Bernhard Karlgren	/lɑŋ/	/pɑi^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	láng	bèi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	long⁴	bui³

Adjective

狼狽

in an awkward or difficult position; in a tight corner
這件事把他搞得十分狼狽。 [MSC, trad.]
这件事把他搞得十分狼狈。 [MSC, simp.]
Zhè jiàn shì bǎ tā gǎo de shífēn lángbèi. [Pinyin]
This matter has left him in a difficult position.
in disorder; in confusion
狼狽而去／狼狈而去 ― lángbèi'érqù ― to hurry off in confusion

狼狽逃竄／狼狈逃窜 ― lángbèitáocuàn ― to flee in panic
(literary, archaic) fatigued; exhausted; tired
(literary, archaic) untidy; slovenly; shabby
(Hokkien) down and out; poor and frustrated in life
- 2007, 蕭煌奇 [Ricky Hsiao], “阿嬤的話”‎^[1]performed by 蕭煌奇 [Ricky Hsiao]:
  
  嘸通大漢像恁老爸仔這麼仔狼狽喔 [Taiwanese Hokkien, trad.]
  呒通大汉像恁老爸仔这么仔狼狈喔 [Taiwanese Hokkien, simp.]
  m̄-thang tōa-hàn chhiūⁿ lín lāu-pē-á hiah-nī-á liông-pōe--o͘h [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]
  Don't grow up to be like your daddy, so down and out.

Synonyms

(in an awkward position): 尷尬／尴尬 (gāngà), 困窘 (kùnjiǒng), 難堪／难堪 (nánkān), 為難／为难 (wéinán)

Verb

狼狽

to collude; to conspire; to gang up
狼狽為奸／狼狈为奸 ― lángbèiwéijiān ― to act in collusion with each other
(Classical) to cooperate; to work in coordination
(literary, archaic) to do one's best; to try by every possible means

Adverb

狼狽

(Classical) hurriedly; hastily; rapidly

Noun

狼狽

(Classical) wolf and a legendary wolf -like animal with short forelegs and long hind legs
(Classical) evil person

Derived terms

周章狼狽 / 周章狼狈 (zhōuzhānglángbèi)
狼狽丁 / 狼狈丁
狼狽不堪 / 狼狈不堪
狼狽為奸 / 狼狈为奸 (lángbèiwéijiān)
狼狽相倚 / 狼狈相倚
狼狽萬狀 / 狼狈万状
狼狽而逃 / 狼狈而逃
首尾狼狽 / 首尾狼狈

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (狼狽):

→ Japanese: 狼狽(ろうばい) (rōbai)
→ Korean: 낭패(狼狽) (nangpae)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
狼	狽
ろう Jinmeiyō	ばい Hyōgai
on'yomi

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ɾo̞ːba̠i]

Noun

狼(ろう)狽(ばい) • (rōbai)

flustering; confusion

Verb

狼(ろう)狽(ばい)する • (rōbai suru) suru (stem 狼(ろう)狽(ばい)し (rōbai shi), past 狼(ろう)狽(ばい)した (rōbai shita))

to be flustered; to be confused

Conjugation

Conjugation of "狼狽する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	狼狽し	ろうばいし	rōbai shi
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	狼狽し	ろうばいし	rōbai shi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	狼狽する	ろうばいする	rōbai suru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	狼狽する	ろうばいする	rōbai suru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	狼狽すれ	ろうばいすれ	rōbai sure
Meireikei ("imperative")	狼狽せよ¹ 狼狽しろ²	ろうばいせよ¹ ろうばいしろ²	rōbai seyo¹ rōbai shiro²
Key constructions
Passive	狼狽される	ろうばいされる	rōbai sareru
Causative	狼狽させる狼狽さす	ろうばいさせるろうばいさす	rōbai saseru rōbai sasu
Potential	狼狽できる	ろうばいできる	rōbai dekiru
Volitional	狼狽しよう	ろうばいしよう	rōbai shiyō
Negative	狼狽しない	ろうばいしない	rōbai shinai
Negative continuative	狼狽せず	ろうばいせず	rōbai sezu
Formal	狼狽します	ろうばいします	rōbai shimasu
Perfective	狼狽した	ろうばいした	rōbai shita
Conjunctive	狼狽して	ろうばいして	rōbai shite
Hypothetical conditional	狼狽すれば	ろうばいすれば	rōbai sureba
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative

References

“^▲狼^▲狽”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[2] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2025