克敌制胜 (kè dí zhì shēng) — to vanquish the enemy and achieve victory (used in strategic or competitive contexts)

Definition

A formal chengyu meaning 'to defeat the enemy and win' — used for strategy, competition, or business, never everyday situations.

idiom
to vanquish the enemy and achieve victory (used in strategic or competitive contexts)

Examples

  • ，克敌制胜。
    Zài zhàn chǎng shàng, wǒ men bì xū kè dí zhì shēng.
    On the battlefield, we must vanquish the enemy and win.
  • 克敌制胜，。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī tōng guò chuàng xīn kè dí zhì shēng, chéng wéi le háng yè lǐng xiù.
    This company defeated its competitors through innovation and became the industry leader.
  • ，克敌制胜。
    Zhǐ yǒu tuán jié yí zhì, wǒ men cái néng kè dí zhì shēng.
    Only by uniting can we defeat the enemy and achieve victory.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

克敌overcome enemy
克kèovercome敌díenemy
动宾Verb + object
制胜gain victory
制zhìgain胜shèngvictory
动宾Verb + object

克敌 means overcoming the enemy, while 制胜 means gaining victory; together they describe defeating an enemy to achieve success.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 克 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 敵; 敌 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pūto tap; to hit
Sound part声符shēngfú
啻
啻chì敵dí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 敵 pairs 啻 as a sound part with 攴, a part for tapping or hitting.

Open 敌 →

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

The form 制 pairs 朱 (tree) with 刀 (knife), showing the act of cutting a tree.

Open 制 →

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
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
生
生shēng胜shèng
Same sound today

The simplified 胜 changes the traditional 勝 by replacing part of its sound side with 生; the left 肉 relates to meat.

Open 胜 →

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