前哨战 (qián shào zhàn) — (military) advance-guard skirmish, preliminary engagement; (figurative) preliminary conflict or test before a larger confrontation
Definition
A 'skirmish before the main battle' — literally an advance-guard fight, but in modern use it mostly refers to a preliminary contest (talks, market moves, rivalry) that sets up a bigger showdown later.
noun
(military) advance-guard skirmishpreliminary engagement(figurative) preliminary conflict or test before a larger confrontation
Measure word · 场
Examples
- 前哨战。Zhè chǎng qián shào zhàn wèi hòu miàn de zhǔ lì jué zhàn zuò hǎo le zhǔn bèi.This advance-guard skirmish prepared the way for the main battle to come.
- 前哨战。Liǎng jiā gōng sī zài shì chǎng shàng de qián shào zhàn yǐ jīng kāi shǐ le.The preliminary skirmish between the two companies in the market has already begun.
- 前哨战，。Zhè cì tán pàn zhǐ shì shuāng fāng zhī jiān de qián shào zhàn, zhēn zhèng de jiào liàng hái zài hòu miàn.This negotiation is just a preliminary skirmish between the two sides; the real contest is yet to come.
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