COWARDLY    懦弱的

FEARFUL WHEN COURAGE is NEEDED.
FAINT-HEARTEDLILY-LIVEREDSPINELESSCHICKEN-HEARTEDCRAVENTIMIDTIMOROUSFEARFULPUSILLANIMOUSYELLOWCHICKENWEAK-KNEEDGUTLESSYELLOW-BELLIEDWIMPISHWIMPYCHICKEN-LIVERED
Modern Chinese Criteria
怯懦 怯弱 荏弱 愚懦 膽小 膽虛 膽怯 卑怯 怯生生 唯唯 心虛 草雞 窩囊 沒種 縮頭烏龜 孬 rough draft to BEGIN TO identify synonym group members for analysis, based on CL etc. 18.11.2003. CH ／
Antonym
  • COURAGEVIRTUE OR ATTITUDE of DARING to ACT:carry-out DANGEROUS BUT NECESSARY ACTS.
Hypernym
  • FEAR　BAD FEELING IN-RELATION-TO what one BELIEVES to be a DANGER which one is TRYING to AVOID. (anc: 12/0, child: 3)
  • FEELING　NATURAL REACTION IN one's MIND. (anc: 11/0, child: 17)
  • REACT　CHANGE one's THINKING OR ACTING BECAUSE one is PERCEIVING something. (anc: 10/0, child: 5)
  • A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages ( BUCK 1988) p. 16.55

  • 韓非子同義詞研究 ( HANFEI TONGYI 2004) p. 335

  • Theophrast, Charaktere ( THEOPHRASTUS 1960) p. no. 25

  • SYNONYMES FRANÇOIS, LEURS DIFFÉRENTES SIGNIFICATIONS, ET LE CHOIX QU'IL EN FAUT FAIRE Pour parler avec justesse ( GIRARD 1769) p. 1.317.279

    LACHE.POLTRON

  • Bibliographisches Handbuch zur Sprachinhaltsforschung. Teil II. Systematischer Teil. B. Ordnung nach Sinnbezirken (mit einem alphabetischen Begriffsschluessel): Der Mensch und seine Welt im Spiegel der Sprachforschung ( FRANKE 1989) p. 48A

    • Words (5 items)

    怯  qiè OC: khab MC: khi̯ɐp 9 Attributions

      Word relations
    • Ant: 勇/COURAGE The standard general word for courage is yǒng 勇 (ant. nuò 懦 "pusillanimousness, chicken-liveredness"), which refers to positive boldness evinced in the face of danger or risk. Cf. fortitudo
    • Assoc: 懾/FEAR
    • Assoc: 愚/STUPID The dominant word is yú 愚 (ant. zhì 智 "clever; wise"), and the word refers to intellectual obtuseness as well as practical ineptitude.

      Syntactic words
    • v[adN]nonreferentialthe cowardly
    • vadNfearful; chicken-hearted; frightened
    • vilack courage where one ought to show courage, be pusillanimous, be prone to get frightened; generally: get frightened
    • vtoNbe fearful about and reluctant to, feel reticent to
    懦  nuò OC: nools MC: nʷɑ 5 Attributions

      Word relations
    • Assoc: 柔/SOFT The current standard word for anything pliable and soft is róu 柔, and I have found no competing words with related meanings.

      Syntactic words
    • vibe cowardly
    • vifigurative"cowardly and weak"
    怯懦  qiè nuò OC: khab nools MC: khi̯ɐp nʷɑ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • VPibe cowardly
    懾怯  shè qiè MC: tsyep khjaep OC: kljeb khab 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • VPilack courage, be pusillanimous, be prone to get frightenedLZ
    無勇  wú yǒng OC: ma k-loŋʔ MC: mi̯o ji̯oŋ 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NPabfeaturelack of proper courage; lack of a courageous attitude (rather than cowardice)
    • VPibe timid; be cowardly