两面三刀 — “To be two-faced and treacherous”
两面三刀 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be two-faced and treacherous”. To speak nicely to one's face but plot against them behind their back; hypocritical and deceitful. Literally, “Two faces, three knives”.
Frequency
两面三刀 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 两liǎng
- 面miàn
- 三sān
- 刀dāo
两面三刀 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 两面三刀
小李不喜欢那种两面三刀的人，觉得他们不值得信任。
Xiao Li dislikes those who are two-faced and deceitful, finding them untrustworthy.
Origin and Story of 两面三刀
Ma Junqing's wife, in collusion with Clerk Zhao, falsely accused Ma Junqing's concubine, Zhang Haitang, of murdering her husband and forcibly took Zhang Haitang's son.
Later, Bao Zheng investigated and uncovered the truth, ruling that the son be returned to Haitang.
During the investigation, Ma's wife vehemently defended herself, claiming she would never resort to two-faced tactics and was a virtuous woman.
Idioms Related to 两面三刀
Synonyms of 两面三刀
More idioms starting with 两
- liǎng两shì世wéi为rén人to feel reborn after surviving danger
- liǎng两liǎng两sān三sān三in small groups
- liǎng两quán全qí其měi美satisfy both sides
- liǎng两xiāng厢qíng情yuàn愿both parties willing
- liǎng两yè叶yǎn掩mù目deluded by trivialities
- liǎng两guó国jiāo交bīng兵，，bù不zhǎn斩lái来shǐ使Do not harm messengers in war
- liǎng两guó国xiāng相zhàn战，，bù不zhǎn斩lái来shǐ使Do not harm envoys even in war
- liǎng两tóu头sān三xù绪conflicting thoughts and worries
- liǎng两tóu头sān三miàn面two-faced and inconsistent
- liǎng两tóu头hé和fān番stir up trouble between two parties
- liǎng两tóu头dān担xīn心worried about both ends
- liǎng两tóu头bái白miàn面Deceive both parties to gain favor
Questions about 两面三刀
- What does 两面三刀 mean?
- 两面三刀 (liǎng miàn sān dāo) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be two-faced and treacherous”.
- How do you pronounce 两面三刀?
- 两面三刀 is pronounced liǎng miàn sān dāo in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 两面三刀 literally mean?
- Literally, 两面三刀 means “Two faces, three knives”. It is used to mean “to be two-faced and treacherous”.
- Where does 两面三刀 come from?
- 两面三刀 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 两面三刀?
- 比喻居心不良，当面一套，背后一套。