动武 (dòng wǔ) — to resort to force, to use violence, to come to blows
Definition
动武 means to resort to physical force or armed action between parties (countries, groups, people). It implies actual fighting, stronger than just arguing or threatening — narrower than 打 or 动手, which cover any physical action.
verb
to resort to forceto use violenceto come to blows
Examples
- 动武，。Tā men bù xiǎng dòng wǔ, dàn shì méi bàn fǎ.They don't want to resort to force, but they have no choice.
- 。Liǎng guó zhī jiān cóng lái méi yǒu dòng guò wǔ.The two countries have never resorted to force with each other.
- ，动武。Tán pàn shī bài hòu, shuāng fāng kāi shǐ dòng wǔ.After the negotiations failed, both sides started to use force.
Appears in
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