杀手锏 (shā shǒu jiǎn) — trump card, secret weapon (figurative)

Definition

Examples

• 在谈判中，他最后使出了杀手锏，让对方不得不让步。
  Zài tán pàn zhōng, tā zuì hòu shǐ chū le shā shǒu jiǎn, ràng duì fāng bù dé bú ràng bù.
  In the negotiation, he finally played his trump card, forcing the other side to concede.
• 这个公司把新技术当作杀手锏，希望能打败竞争对手。
  Zhè ge gōng sī bǎ xīn jì shù dàng zuò shā shǒu jiǎn, xī wàng néng dǎ bài jìng zhēng duì shǒu.
  This company treats the new technology as its trump card, hoping to beat its competitors.
• 不到关键时刻，他不会轻易亮出杀手锏。
  Bú dào guān jiàn shí kè, tā bú huì qīng yì liàng chū shā shǒu jiǎn.
  He won't easily reveal his trump card until the critical moment.