Zhànshì men yǔ dírén zhǎnkāi le jīliè de ròubózhàn.
The soldiers engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the enemy.
Tips
memory
Literally 'flesh-grappling battle' - 肉 flesh, 搏 to grapple, 战 battle. The image is bodies colliding without weapons, exactly what 'hand-to-hand' captures.
usage
Often used figuratively for any brutal, no-holds-barred contest - sports games, business competition, political fights - not just literal combat.