折戟沉沙

zhé jǐ chén shā

Dictionary entry

lit. broken halberds embedded in the sand (idiom)

What does 折戟沉沙 mean?

折戟沉沙 (zhé jǐ chén shā) has the following dictionary meaning.

1lit. broken halberds embedded in the sand (idiom)

2fig. reminder of a fierce battle; remnants of a disastrous defeat

Character breakdown

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折shéto snap · to break (a stick, a bone etc)戟jǐhalberd · long-handled weapon with pointed tip and crescent blade 沉chénvariant of 沉[chen2]沙Shāsurname Sha

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How to pronounce 折戟沉沙

折戟沉沙

zhé jǐ chén shā

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