蠖屈求伸 huòqūqiúshēn to bide one's time Origin Definitions Defs Strokes Stroke Words Sentences Sents 蠖屈 huòqū to humble oneself to humble oneself temporarily or live in retirement while waiting for a better opportunity求 qiú verb to seek to look for or try to obtain something; to strive for伸 shēn verb to stretch to stretch; to extend; to reach or stick out