短兵相接 (duǎn bīng xiāng jiē) — to fight at close quarters; hand-to-hand combat; (figurative) direct and intense confrontation

Definition

A chengyu from ancient warfare meaning 'close-quarters combat with short weapons'. Used figuratively for any fierce, direct confrontation — debates, price wars, or arguments where neither side yields.

idiom
to fight at close quartershand-to-hand combat(figurative) direct and intense confrontation

Examples

  • ，短兵相接，。
    Zhàn chǎng shàng, shuāng fāng duǎn bīng xiāng jiē, dǎ dé nán fēn nán jiě.
    On the battlefield, the two sides fought at close quarters, locked in a fierce struggle.
  • 短兵相接，。
    Zhè cì biàn lùn sài jìn rù duǎn bīng xiāng jiē de jiē duàn, liǎng wèi xuǎn shǒu hù bù xiāng ràng.
    The debate competition entered a phase of direct confrontation, with neither contestant giving ground.
  • 短兵相接，。
    Liǎng jiā gōng sī zài jià gé shàng duǎn bīng xiāng jiē, dōu xiǎng qiǎng zhàn shì chǎng fèn é.
    The two companies are locked in a price war, each trying to grab market share.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

短兵short weapons
短duǎnshort兵bīngweapons
偏正Modifier + head
相接meet together
相xiāngmutually接jiēmeet/join
偏正Modifier + head

短兵 means short weapons, and 相接 means they meet together.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
矢矢shǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu短duǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

短 is built from 矢 and 豆. 豆 is used for its sound, while 矢 is the component linked to the meaning.

Open 短 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 斤斤jīna short axe
  • 廾廾gǒng2 hands

兵 combines 斤, a short axe, with 廾, two hands, showing a pair of hands holding a weapon.

Open 兵 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

In 相, 目 is an eye and 木 is a tree, showing an eye looking at a tree; this originally meant “to observe.”

Open 相 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
妾
妾qiè接jiē
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 扌 shows a hand, matching the sense of receiving something in the hand, while 妾 gives the character its sound.

Open 接 →

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