How do you pronounce 快刀斩乱麻?

快刀斩乱麻 is pronounced kuài dāo zhǎn luàn má in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 快刀斩乱麻 literally mean?

Literally, 快刀斩乱麻 means “a quick knife cuts tangled hemp”. It is used to mean “to solve a complex or difficult problem quickly and decisively”.

Where does 快刀斩乱麻 come from?

快刀斩乱麻 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 快刀斩乱麻?

比喻做事果断，能采取坚决有效的措施，很快解决复杂的问题。

快刀斩乱麻 — “To solve a complex or difficult problem quickly and decisively”

快刀斩乱麻 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to solve a complex or difficult problem quickly and decisively”. To cut through a Gordian knot. Literally, “A quick knife cuts tangled hemp”.

Frequency

快刀斩乱麻 Pronunciation and Pinyin

快kuài
刀dāo
斩zhǎn
乱luàn
麻má

快刀斩乱麻 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
快	kuài	7	Fast, quick, happy, sharp
刀	dāo	2	knife
斩	zhǎn	8	cut off decisively
乱	luàn	7	disorderly and confused
麻	má	11	hemp, numb, sesame, pockmarks

Example Sentence with 快刀斩乱麻

面对公司内部复杂的流程，新经理决定快刀斩乱麻，简化不必要的步骤。

Faced with the company's complex internal procedures, the new manager decided to 'cut the tangled hemp with a swift knife', simplifying unnecessary steps with decisive action.

Origin and Story of 快刀斩乱麻

During the Northern Dynasties, Gao Huan, who served as the Chancellor of Eastern Wei, wished to test the intelligence of his sons. He presented each son with a pile of tangled hemp and instructed them to untangle it as quickly as possible.

The eldest son attempted to slowly pull out individual strands, only to find the hemp becoming even more tangled.

The younger son divided the pile into two halves, then tried to separate them.

However, it was Gao Yang who took out a sharp knife, swiftly cut through the tangled mass with a few strokes, and then easily sorted out the shorter pieces. Gao Huan highly praised his decisive action.

Idioms Related to 快刀斩乱麻

Synonyms of 快刀斩乱麻

kuài快dāo刀duàn断luàn乱má麻resolve complex problems decisively

Antonyms of 快刀斩乱麻

tuō拖ní泥dài带shuǐ水sloppy, indecisive, or not straightforward

More idioms starting with 快

Questions about 快刀斩乱麻

What does 快刀斩乱麻 mean?: 快刀斩乱麻 (kuài dāo zhǎn luàn má) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to solve a complex or difficult problem quickly and decisively”.
How do you pronounce 快刀斩乱麻?: 快刀斩乱麻 is pronounced kuài dāo zhǎn luàn má in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 快刀斩乱麻 literally mean?: Literally, 快刀斩乱麻 means “a quick knife cuts tangled hemp”. It is used to mean “to solve a complex or difficult problem quickly and decisively”.
Where does 快刀斩乱麻 come from?: 快刀斩乱麻 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 快刀斩乱麻?: 比喻做事果断，能采取坚决有效的措施，很快解决复杂的问题。

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