唇枪舌剑 (chún qiāng shé jiàn) — sharp-tongued debate; a war of words; heated verbal exchange
Definition
A chengyu for a fierce, sharp-tongued exchange — literally 'lips like guns, tongues like swords.' Always describes a heated verbal confrontation, never a friendly chat.
idiom
sharp-tongued debatea war of wordsheated verbal exchange
Examples
- 唇枪舌剑，。Liǎng wèi biàn shǒu zài tái shàng chún qiāng shé jiàn, shuí yě bú ràng shuí.The two debaters engaged in a war of words on stage, neither willing to give in.
- 唇枪舌剑，。Zhè chǎng tǎo lùn biàn chéng le chún qiāng shé jiàn, dà jiā dōu wàng le zuì chū de wèn tí.This discussion turned into a heated verbal spat, and everyone forgot the original issue.
- 唇枪舌剑，。Jì zhě yǔ zhèng kè chún qiāng shé jiàn, qì fen fēi cháng jǐn zhāng.The journalist and the politician engaged in a sharp-tongued debate, and the atmosphere was very tense.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.