刀枪不入

刀槍不入

dāoqiāngbùrù

idiom #17,852

Meanings

1 impervious to sword or spear
2 invulnerable
3 thick-skinned
4 impervious to criticism

Characters

to enter; to penetrate

Literally 'knives and spears cannot enter' — nothing can get through.

Examples

他对批评刀枪不入。

Tā duì pīpíng dāoqiāngbùrù.

He is impervious to criticism.

义和团成员相信自己刀枪不入。

Yìhétuán chéngyuán xiāngxìn zìjǐ dāoqiāngbùrù.

Boxer Rebellion members believed they were invulnerable to weapons.

Tips

history

This idiom gained particular resonance during the Boxer Rebellion (义和团运动, 1899-1901), when followers believed rituals made them literally impervious to bullets.

Stroke Order

刀 dāo

枪 qiāng

不 bù

入 rù