The police, armed with loaded firearms, surrounded the building.
Tips
mistakes
荷 here is read hè (to carry/shoulder), NOT hé (lotus). A classical literary reading preserved only in this idiom and a few set phrases like 荷重 (bear a burden).
usage
Describes police, soldiers, or guards in states of high alert — raids, counter-terror operations, border patrols. Neutral in tone but signals serious threat level.
