下毒手 (xià dú shǒu) — to strike a vicious blow; to resort to murderous measures (against someone)
Definition
A set phrase meaning to 'strike a vicious, murderous blow' against someone. Carries strong negative connotation — used for ruthless, lethal attacks, not ordinary harm.
verb
to strike a vicious blowto resort to murderous measures (against someone)
Examples
- 下毒手。Tā men àn zhōng jì huà duì jìng zhēng duì shǒu xià dú shǒu.They secretly plotted to strike a vicious blow against their competitor.
- ，。Tā xīn hěn shǒu là, duì wú gū de rén xià le dú shǒu.He was ruthless and carried out a vicious attack on innocent people.
- 。Xiǎo shuō lǐ de fǎn pài zuì zhōng duì zhǔ jué xià le dú shǒu.The villain in the novel finally struck a murderous blow against the protagonist.
Appears in
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