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抽刀断水
抽刀断水
抽刀断水
抽刀断水
抽刀断水
抽刀断水
抽刀断水
抽刀断水
抽刀断水
抽刀断水

抽刀断水 — “To make a futile attempt to solve a problem”

抽刀断水 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to make a futile attempt to solve a problem”. Which may even exacerbate the situation, like trying to cut water with a knife. Literally, “Draw a knife to cut water”.

Frequency

抽刀断水 Pronunciation and Pinyin

抽刀断水 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
抽
chōu8draw out, extract, twitch
刀
dāo2knife
断
duàn11break, stop, decide
水
shuǐ4water, liquid, river, juice

Example Sentence with 抽刀断水

面对日新月异的变化,试图固守旧有模式,无异于抽刀断水,根本解决不了问题。
Facing rapid changes, trying to cling to old patterns is like drawing a knife to cut water; it simply won't solve the problem.

Idioms Related to 抽刀断水

Synonyms of 抽刀断水

  • bào抱xīn薪jiù救huǒ火add fuel to the flames

More idioms starting with 抽

  • chōu抽dīng丁bá拔xiē楔solve a difficult problem
  • chōu抽sī丝bāo剥jiǎn茧meticulously analyze step by step
  • chōu抽duō多bǔ补shǎo少,,chōu抽féi肥bǔ补shòu瘦redistribute from surplus to scarcity
  • chōu抽chou抽yē噎yē噎to sob softly and brokenly
  • chōu抽chōu抽dā搭dā搭to sob intermittently
  • chōu抽liáng梁huàn换zhù柱surreptitiously substitute the fake for the genuine
  • chōu抽bì祕chěng骋yán妍express profound thoughts and display talent
  • chōu抽mì秘chěng骋yán妍Express profound ideas and display brilliant talents
  • chōu抽jīn筋bāo剥pí皮ruthlessly exploit and oppress
  • chōu抽jīn筋bá拔gǔ骨make a tremendous, painful effort
  • chōu抽jiǎn简lù禄mǎ马divine one's fortune by drawing lots
  • chōu抽tāi胎huàn换gǔ骨undergo a complete transformation

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Questions about 抽刀断水

What does 抽刀断水 mean?

抽刀断水 (chōu dāo duàn shuǐ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to make a futile attempt to solve a problem”.

How do you pronounce 抽刀断水?

抽刀断水 is pronounced chōu dāo duàn shuǐ in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 抽刀断水 literally mean?

Literally, 抽刀断水 means “Draw a knife to cut water”. It is used to mean “to make a futile attempt to solve a problem”.

What is the Chinese definition of 抽刀断水?

抽刀:拔出刀来。水:流水。抽出刀来要斩断流水。比喻无济于事,反会加速事态的发展。

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