杀手锏

殺手鐧
shāshǒujiǎn
noun #16,193

Meanings

  1. 1 trump card
  2. 2 ace in the hole
  3. 3 secret weapon

Examples

Zhè xiàng jìshù shì wǒmen gōngsī de shāshǒujiǎn.
This technology is our company's trump card.
Tā zài guānjiàn shíkè liàng chū le shāshǒujiǎn.
He played his trump card at the critical moment.

Tips

history
Literally 'killer's mace,' from the story of general Qin Shubao () who would pretend to drop his mace in battle, then use it to strike fatally when his opponent let their guard down.
usage
Used figuratively in modern Chinese for any decisive advantage or secret weapon, especially in business and competition.

Stroke Order

shā
shǒu
jiǎn