以子之矛，攻子之盾

yǐ zǐ zhī máo , gōng zǐ zhī dùn

Dictionary entry

lit. use sb's spear to attack his shield (idiom, derived from Han Feizi 韓非子|韩非子); turning a weapon against its owner

What does 以子之矛，攻子之盾 mean?

以子之矛，攻子之盾 (yǐ zǐ zhī máo , gōng zǐ zhī dùn) has the following dictionary meaning.

1lit. use sb's spear to attack his shield (idiom, derived from Han Feizi 韓非子|韩非子); turning a weapon against its owner

2fig. to attack an opponent using his own devices

3hoist with his own petard

Character breakdown

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以yǐold variant of 以[yi3]子zǐson · child 之zhī(possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de5]) · him 矛máospear; lance; pike · CL:支[zhi1]攻gōngto attack · to accuse 盾dùnshield (CL:面[mian4]) · (currency) Vietnamese dong

Reviewed examples

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How to pronounce 以子之矛，攻子之盾

以子之矛，攻子之盾

yǐ zǐ zhī máo , gōng zǐ zhī dùn

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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.