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交锋 (jiāo fēng) — to cross swords; to have a confrontation (literally or figuratively); to face off

Definition

交锋 (jiāofēng) means 'to clash, to face off' — narrower than 对抗 ('to resist/confront'), which covers any opposition. Used for direct, head-to-head encounters (debates, battles, matches).

verb
to cross swordsto have a confrontation (literally or figuratively)to face off

Examples

  • 交锋。
    Liǎng wèi hòu xuǎn rén zài diàn shì biàn lùn zhōng jī liè jiāo fēng.
    The two candidates fiercely clashed in the televised debate.
  • 交锋，。
    Shuāng fāng jiù zhè ge wèn tí duō cì jiāo fēng, zuì zhōng dá chéng gòng shí.
    The two sides crossed swords on this issue many times and finally reached a consensus.
  • 。
    Liǎng zhī qiú duì zài sài chǎng shàng jiāo fēng le jiǔ shí fēn zhōng.
    The two teams faced off on the field for ninety minutes.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

交jiāocross
锋fēngsword edge

交, meaning cross, and 锋, meaning sharp edge, picture sword points meeting, hence a confrontation.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

Open 交 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鋒; 锋 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
夆
夆páng鋒fēng
Same sound today

The traditional form 鋒 pairs 金 (metal) with a sound part 夆; the simplified 锋 is a shorthand.

Open 锋 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Conflict & Agreement

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