剑拔弩张

Traditional: 劍拔弩張

jiàn bá nǔ zhāng

Dictionary entry

lit. with swords drawn and bows bent (idiom); fig. a state of mutual hostility

What does 剑拔弩张 mean?

剑拔弩张 (jiàn bá nǔ zhāng) has the following dictionary meaning.

1lit. with swords drawn and bows bent (idiom); fig. a state of mutual hostility

2at daggers drawn

Character breakdown

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剑jiàndouble-edged sword · CL:口[kou3],把[ba3]拔báto pull up · to pull out 弩nǔcrossbow 张Zhāngsurname Zhang

Reviewed examples

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How to pronounce 剑拔弩张

剑拔弩张

jiàn bá nǔ zhāng

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