肉搏战 (ròu bó zhàn) — hand-to-hand combat; close-quarters battle; (figurative) fierce, direct confrontation

Definition

Literally 'flesh-fight battle': close-quarters hand-to-hand combat, often used figuratively for any fierce, direct, point-blank confrontation (e.g. a tight game or debate).

noun
hand-to-hand combatclose-quarters battle(figurative) fiercedirect confrontation

Examples

  • 肉搏战。
    Liǎng jūn zhǎn kāi le jī liè de ròu bó zhàn.
    The two armies engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat.
  • 肉搏战，。
    Zhè chǎng jué sài chéng le yì chǎng ròu bó zhàn, shuāng fāng dōu pīn jìn quán lì.
    This final match turned into a hand-to-hand battle, with both sides giving their all.
  • ，肉搏战。
    Zài xiàng zhàn zhōng, shì bīng men bù dé bú jìn xíng ròu bó zhàn.
    In street fighting, the soldiers had to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

肉搏hand-to-hand
肉ròuflesh搏bógrapple
偏正Modifier + head
战zhànbattle

肉搏 describes fighting with the body, and 战 names the battle.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The original shape of 肉 showed ribs of an animal’s torso, or simply a slice of meat.

Open 肉 →

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
尃
尃fū搏bó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

搏 puts 手 (hand) beside 尃, which gives the sound; the hand part points to actions done with the hand.

Open 搏 →

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
戈戈gē
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn战zhàn
Same sound today

战 pairs 占, which gives its sound, with 戈, a weapon.

Open 战 →

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