刀枪不入

刀槍不入

dāoqiāng-bùrù

idiom #17,852

Meanings

1 impervious to sword or spear
2 invulnerable
3 thick-skinned
4 impervious to criticism

Characters

to enter; to penetrate

Literally 'knives and spears cannot enter' - nothing can get through.

Examples

他对批评刀枪不入。

Tā duì pīpíng dāoqiāng-bùrù.

He is impervious to criticism.

义和团成员相信自己刀枪不入。

Yìhétuán chéngyuán xiāngxìn zìjǐ dāoqiāng-bùrù.

Boxer Rebellion members believed they were invulnerable to weapons.

Tips

history

This idiom gained particular resonance during the Boxer Rebellion (义和团运动, 1899-1901), when followers believed rituals made them literally impervious to bullets.

Stroke Order

刀 dāo

枪 qiāng

不 bù

入 rù