短兵相接

duǎnbīngxiāngjiē

idiom #39,875

Meanings

1 to fight at close quarters
2 hand-to-hand combat
3 fierce direct confrontation

Characters

weapon; soldier

to meet, engage

Examples

两军短兵相接，战斗异常激烈。

Liǎng jūn duǎnbīng xiāngjiē, zhàndòu yìcháng jīliè.

The two armies clashed at close quarters in extremely fierce combat.

辩论到了短兵相接的阶段。

Biànlùn dào le duǎnbīng xiāngjiē de jiēduàn.

The debate has reached the stage of direct confrontation.

Tips

history

From Qu Yuan's 《九歌·国殇》 (Warring States era, Chu) — '车错毂兮短兵接' describes chariots locked and warriors fighting with short swords. One of the oldest Chinese idioms still in daily use.

Stroke Order

短 duǎn

兵 bīng

相 xiāng

接 jiē