白刀子

báidāozi

noun

Meanings

1 'white knife' (literal)
2 knife going in clean, used in the violent idiom 白刀子进红刀子出

Characters

Examples

他气得骂了一句"白刀子进红刀子出！"

Tā qì de mà le yí jù "báidāozi jìn hóngdāozi chū!"

He was so angry he spat the phrase 'the knife goes in white, comes out red!'

这种白刀子进红刀子出的话不能随便说。

Zhè zhǒng báidāozi jìn hóngdāozi chū de huà bù néng suíbiàn shuō.

You can't casually say a thing like 'in clean, out bloody' — it's a real threat.

Tips

register

白刀子 almost never appears on its own — it is part of the set threat 白刀子进，红刀子出 ('the blade goes in white, comes out red,' i.e. stabbing someone). This is gangster / jianghu speech found in wuxia novels, crime dramas, and rough arguments. Avoid using it literally; understand it when you hear it.

Stroke Order

白 bái

刀 dāo

子 zǐ