大打出手

dàdǎ-chūshǒu

idiom #17,572

Meanings

1 to come to blows
2 to start a fight
3 to get into a physical altercation

Characters

to hit; to fight

to go out; to produce

Literally "greatly-fight-send out-hands" — to throw punches at each other.

Examples

两人争吵后大打出手。

Liǎng rén zhēngchǎo hòu dàdǎ-chūshǒu.

The two came to blows after their argument.

球迷在看台上大打出手。

Qiúmí zài kàntái shàng dàdǎ-chūshǒu.

Fans started fighting in the stands.

Tips

history

Originally a term from Chinese opera (京剧). 打出手 refers to a stage combat technique where actors throw and catch weapons mid-air. 大打出手 meant an elaborate fight scene, and later evolved to mean a real brawl.

Stroke Order

大 dà

打 dǎ

出 chū

手 shǒu