大打出手

dàdǎchūshǒu

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 dàdǎchūshǒu.

The two came to blows after their argument.

球迷在看台上大打出手。

Qiúmí zài kàntái shàng dàdǎchūshǒu.

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