双刃剑 (shuāng rèn jiàn) — (literal) double-edged sword; (figurative) double-edged sword; something with both advantages and disadvantages

Definition

Literally a two-edged sword; figuratively, something that has both good and bad effects (e.g. technology, strict rules). Always used metaphorically in modern Chinese — not for an actual weapon.

noun
(literal) double-edged sword(figurative) double-edged swordsomething with both advantages and disadvantages
Measure word · 把

Examples

  • 双刃剑。
    Zhè bǎ shuāng rèn jiàn shì gǔ dài wǔ shì de wǔ qì.
    This double-edged sword was a weapon of ancient warriors.
  • 双刃剑，。
    Hù lián wǎng shì yì bǎ shuāng rèn jiàn, jì dài lái biàn lì yě dài lái fēng xiǎn.
    The internet is a double-edged sword — it brings both convenience and risk.
  • 双刃剑，。
    Yán gé de guǎn lǐ zhì dù shì yì bǎ shuāng rèn jiàn, néng tí gāo xiào lǜ dàn yě huì xiàn zhì chuàng zào lì.
    A strict management system is a double-edged sword — it can improve efficiency but also limit creativity.

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.

双刃double edge
双shuāngdouble刃rènedge
偏正Modifier + head
剑jiànsword

双 means double, 刃 means edge, and 剑 means sword, so the word is a sword with two edges.

Characters in this word

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

双 is made of two 又 parts side by side. Repeating 又 gives the sense of a pair.

Open 双 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

刃 is a knife with a mark on the blade, pointing to the sharp edge.

Open 刃 →

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 劍; 剑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
刂Written in full as刀dāo
Sound part声符shēngfú
僉
僉qiān劍jiàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 劍 pairs 僉 as the sound part with 刂, a knife sign written as 刀, as the meaning part; the simplified 剑 is a later shorthand.

Open 剑 →

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