"Sword" • Chinese-English Dictionary

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宝剑 bǎo jiàn (double-edged) sword (esp. a valuable or famous one) / CL:把[ba3]
刀剑 dāo jiàn sword
轩辕剑 xuān yuán jiàn sword
佩剑 pèi jiàn sword / (fencing) saber
钢刀 gāng dāo steel knife / sword
缑 Gōu rope attached to a sword hilt / (archaic) hilt / sword
铗 jiá pincers for use at a fire / sword
刀锋 dāo fēng cutting edge or point of a knife, sword or tool
利剑 lì jiàn sharp sword
剑身 jiàn shēn sword blade
出鞘 chū qiào (of a sword etc) to unsheath
刀枪 dāo qiāng sword and spear / weapons
剑柄 jiàn bǐng sword hilt
双刃剑 shuāng rèn jiàn double-edged sword (lit. and fig.)
木剑 mù jiàn wooden sword
马刀 mǎ dāo saber / cavalry sword
快刀斩乱麻 kuài dāo zhǎn luàn má lit. quick sword cuts through tangled hemp (idiom) / decisive action in a complex situation / cutting the Gordian knot
白刃 bái rèn naked sword
尚方宝剑 shàng fāng bǎo jiàn variant of 尚方劍|尚方剑[shang4 fang1 jian4] / imperial sword (giving bearer arbitrary powers) / in fiction, Chinese version of 007's license to kill
日本刀 Rì běn dāo Japanese sword / katana
宝刀不老 bǎo dāo bù lǎo lit. a good sword always remains sharp (idiom) / fig. (of one's skills etc) to be as good as ever / the old man still has it
口蜜腹剑 kǒu mì fù jiàn lit. honeyed words, a sword in the belly (idiom) / fig. hypocritical and murderous
投笔从戎 tóu bǐ cóng róng to lay down the pen and take up the sword (idiom) / to join the military (esp. of educated person)
刻舟求剑 kè zhōu qiú jiàn lit. a notch on the side of a boat to locate a sword dropped overboard (idiom) / fig. an action made pointless by changed circumstances
单刀赴会 dān dāo fù huì lit. to go among enemies with only one's sword (idiom) / fig. to go alone into enemy lines
刀 dāo knife / blade / single-edged sword / cutlass / CL:把[ba3] / (slang) dollar (loanword) / classifier for sets of one hundred sheets (of paper) / classifier for knife cuts or stabs
抡 lūn to swing (one's arms, a heavy object) / to wave (a sword, one's fists) / to fling (money)
锟 kūn steel sword
镡 xín guard (on a sword handle) / pommel (on a sword handle) / dagger / Taiwan pr. [tan2]
銧 guāng point of a sword
铓 máng sharp point / point of sword
文武双全 wén wǔ shuāng quán well versed in letters and military technology (idiom) / fine scholar and soldier / master of pen and sword
琴剑飘零 qín jiàn piāo líng floating between zither and sword (idiom) / fig. wandering aimlessly with no tenured position
胯下之辱 kuà xià zhī rǔ lit. the humiliation of having to crawl between the legs of one's adversary (as Han Xin 韓信|韩信[Han2 Xin4] supposedly did rather than engage in a sword fight) (idiom) / fig. (endure) utter humiliation
项庄舞剑 Xiàng Zhuāng wǔ jiàn lit. Xiang Zhuang performs the sword dance, but his mind is set on Liu Bang 劉邦|刘邦[Liu2 Bang1] (idiom, refers to plot to kill Liu Bang during the Hongmen feast 鴻門宴|鸿门宴[Hong2 men2 yan4] in 206 BC) / fig. an elaborate deception hiding malicious intent
磨刀霍霍 mó dāo huò huò lit. to sharpen one's sword (idiom) / fig. to prepare to attack / to be getting ready for battle
刀枪不入 dāo qiāng bù rù lit. impervious to sword or spear (idiom) / fig. invulnerable / untouchable / thick-skinned / impervious to criticism
戠 shì a sword. potter's clay. to gather
上方宝剑 shàng fāng bǎo jiàn imperial sword (giving bearer plenipotentiary powers) / imperial Chinese version of 007 licensed to kill
倚天屠龙记 Yǐ tiān Tú lóng Jì Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, wuxia (武俠|武侠[wu3 xia2], martial arts chivalry) novel by Jin Yong 金庸[Jin1 Yong1] and its screen adaptations
剑走偏锋 jiàn zǒu piān fēng the sword moves with side stroke (modern idiom) / fig. unexpected winning move / unconventional gambit
剑走蜻蛉 jiàn zǒu qīng líng the sword moves like a dragon-fly (modern idiom) / fig. unexpected winning move / unconventional gambit
大刀会 dà dāo huì Great Sword Society, an offshoot of the White Lotus in the late Qing dynasty, involved in anti-Western activity at the time of the Boxer rebellion
尚方剑 shàng fāng jiàn imperial sword (giving bearer arbitrary powers) / in fiction, Chinese version of 007's license to kill
快刀断乱麻 kuài dāo duàn luàn má lit. quick sword cuts through tangled hemp (idiom) / decisive action in a complex situation / cutting the Gordian knot
打把势 dǎ bǎ shi drill (in sword play) / to thrash around / to demonstrate gymnastic skills / to solicit financial help (in an indirect way) / to show off
泰阿 Tài ē name of a famous sword mentioned in ancient texts
笔胜于刀文比武强 bǐ shèng yú dāo wén bǐ wǔ qiáng the pen is mightier than the sword (idiom)
重文轻武 zhòng wén qīng wǔ to value letters and belittle arms (idiom) / to stress civil matters and neglect the military / to prefer the pen to the sword
项庄舞剑，意在沛公 Xiàng Zhuāng wǔ jiàn , yì zài Pèi Gōng lit. Xiang Zhuang performs the sword dance, but his mind is set on Liu Bang 劉邦|刘邦[Liu2 Bang1] (idiom) / refers to 206 BC plot to murder Liu Bang, aka Duke of Pei 沛公[Pei4 gong1] and the future Han emperor, during a sword dance at the Hongmen feast 鴻門宴|鸿门宴[Hong2 men2 yan4] / an elaborate deception to hide malicious intent
竹刀 zhú dāo shinai (bamboo sword for kendō)
封刀 fēng dāo to hang up the sword
开刃 kāi rèn to edge a knife, scissor, sword etc
两面刃 liǎng miàn rèn double-edged sword
倒持泰阿 dào chí - Tài ē lit. to present the handle of a sword to another (idiom) / fig. to relinquish power to another / to place oneself at another's mercy
朴刀 pō dāo sword with a curved blade and a long hilt, wielded with both hands
镆铘 Mò yé Moye, the name of a legendary double-edged sword
Chinese Tones