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善刀而藏
善刀而藏
善刀而藏
善刀而藏
善刀而藏
善刀而藏
善刀而藏
善刀而藏
善刀而藏
善刀而藏

善刀而藏 — “To know when to stop and withdraw”

善刀而藏 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to know when to stop and withdraw”. To conceal one's talent or achievements after success; to refrain from pushing one's advantage too far. Literally, “wipe the knife and hide it”.

Frequency

善刀而藏 Pronunciation and Pinyin

善刀而藏 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
善
shàn12good kind skillful
刀
dāo2knife
而
ér6and, but, then
藏
cáng18to hide or store

Example Sentence with 善刀而藏

他深谙此道,每次取得显著成就后,总是善刀而藏,从不炫耀。
He understands this principle well; after every significant achievement, he always knows when to withdraw and conceal his talent, never boasting.

Idioms Related to 善刀而藏

Synonyms of 善刀而藏

  • shì适kě可ér而zhǐ止stop when appropriate

Antonyms of 善刀而藏

  • fēng锋máng芒bì毕lù露fully reveal one's sharpness or talent

More idioms starting with 善

  • shàn善yǔ与rén人jiāo交good at making friends
  • shàn善wéi为shuō说cí辞skilled at persuasive speaking
  • shàn善shàn善cóng从cháng长learn from others' strengths
  • shàn善shàn善wù恶è恶Praise good, condemn evil
  • shàn善shǐ始lìng令zhōng终Begin well, end well
  • shàn善shǐ始shàn善zhōng终do well from start to finish
  • shàn善wén文néng能wǔ武adept in both intellectual and practical skills
  • shàn善yǒu有shàn善bào报Good deeds are rewarded
  • shàn善yǒu有shàn善bào报,,è恶yǒu有è恶bào报Good rewarded, evil punished
  • shàn善qì气yíng迎rén人greet people with a kind attitude
  • shàn善yóu游zhě者nì溺Overconfidence often leads to failure
  • shàn善nán男xìn信nǚ女Pious Buddhist devotees

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Questions about 善刀而藏

What does 善刀而藏 mean?

善刀而藏 (shàn dāo ér cáng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to know when to stop and withdraw”.

How do you pronounce 善刀而藏?

善刀而藏 is pronounced shàn dāo ér cáng in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 善刀而藏 literally mean?

Literally, 善刀而藏 means “wipe the knife and hide it”. It is used to mean “to know when to stop and withdraw”.

What is the Chinese definition of 善刀而藏?

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。

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