大动干戈 (dà) — to go to war; to get into a big conflict or quarrel (often over something minor)
Definition
Literally 'wield weapons on a grand scale'; used for a major conflict, fight, or serious dispute — often (as in the examples) one that's disproportionate to the cause.
idiom
to go to warto get into a big conflict or quarrel (often over something minor)
Examples
- 大动干戈，。Tā men wèi le yì diǎn xiǎo shì jiù dà, shí zài bù zhí dé.They went to war over a small matter; it's really not worth it.
- 大动干戈，。Zhè jiàn shì méi bì yào dà, dà jiā zuò xià lái hǎo hǎo tán.There's no need to get into a big fight over this; everyone sit down and talk it out.
- 大动干戈，。Liǎng guó yīn wèi biān jiè wèn tí dà, zuì hòu shuí yě méi yíng.The two countries went to war over a border issue, and in the end neither side won.
Appears in
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