以牙还牙

以牙還牙

yǐyá-huányá

idiom #11,634

Meanings

1 a tooth for a tooth
2 to retaliate in kind
3 tit for tat

Characters

to return; to repay

Examples

他决定以牙还牙。

Tā juédìng yǐyáhuányá.

He decided to fight fire with fire.

以牙还牙不能解决问题。

Yǐyáhuányá bùnéng jiějué wèntí.

An eye for an eye doesn't solve problems.

Tips

usage

Often paired with 以眼还眼 (yǐ yǎn huán yǎn, an eye for an eye). The full phrase 以眼还眼，以牙还牙 mirrors the Biblical/Quranic expression.

Stroke Order

以 yǐ

牙 yá

还 hái