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Open the tool →善刀而藏 (shàn dāo ér cáng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to know when to stop and withdraw”.
善刀而藏 is pronounced shàn dāo ér cáng in Mandarin Chinese.
Literally, 善刀而藏 means “wipe the knife and hide it”. It is used to mean “to know when to stop and withdraw”.
善:拭;善刀:把刀擦干净。将刀擦净,收藏起来。比喻适可而止,自敛其才。