刀笔吏 — “Knife-and-pen clerk/official”
刀笔吏 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a petty official or clerk skilled in drafting or processing legal and administrative documents, often meticulous about wording or technicalities”. Literally, “knife-and-pen clerk/official”.
刀笔吏 Pronunciation and Pinyin
刀笔吏 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 刀笔吏
Idioms Related to 刀笔吏
Synonyms of 刀笔吏
More idioms starting with 刀
- dāo刀xià下liú留rén人Stay the execution
- dāo刀zǔ俎yú余shēng生a narrow escape from danger
- dāo刀guāng光jiàn剑yǐng影scene of flashing swords and clashing blades
- dāo刀guāng光xuè血yǐng影scene of intense fighting and bloodshed
- dāo刀dāo刀jiàn见xiě血speak incisively and pointedly
- dāo刀tóu头jiàn剑shǒu首extremely perilous situation
- dāo刀tóu头yàn燕wěi尾vigorous, sharp, powerful brushstrokes
- dāo刀tóu头tiǎn舔mì蜜pursue small gains at great risk
- dāo刀zi子zuǐ嘴dòu豆fu腐xīn心sharp tongue, soft heart
- dāo刀shān山jiàn剑lín林perilous and extremely dangerous place
- dāo刀shān山jiàn剑shù树a hellish place of severe torment
- dāo刀shān山huǒ火hǎi海extremely perilous or arduous places
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Open the tool →Questions about 刀笔吏
What does 刀笔吏 mean?
刀笔吏 (dāo bǐ lì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a petty official or clerk skilled in drafting or processing legal and administrative documents, often meticulous about wording or technicalities”.
How do you pronounce 刀笔吏?
刀笔吏 is pronounced dāo bǐ lì in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 刀笔吏 literally mean?
Literally, 刀笔吏 means “knife-and-pen clerk/official”. It is used to mean “a petty official or clerk skilled in drafting or processing legal and administrative documents, often meticulous about wording or technicalities”.
What is the Chinese definition of 刀笔吏?
刀笔：古时在竹简上用刀削改字。指代办文书的小吏