Definition
大动干戈 is a chengyu (four-character idiom) that literally means 'to move shields and spears on a large scale' — i.e., to go to war. In everyday usage, it's used figuratively for any big, unnecessary conflict or quarrel, often over trivial matters. It carries a tone of overreaction.
f.e.
to go to warto get into a big conflict or quarrel (often over something minor)
Examples
- 大动干戈，。Tāmen wèile yì diǎn xiǎo shì jiù dà, shízài bù zhídé.They went to war over a small matter; it's really not worth it.
- 大动干戈，。Zhè jiàn shì méi bìyào dà, dàjiā zuò xiàlai hǎohǎo tán.There's no need to get into a big fight over this; everyone sit down and talk it out.
- 大动干戈，。Liǎng guó yīnwèi biānjiè wèntí dà, zuìhòu shéi yě méi yíng.The two countries went to war over a border issue, and in the end neither side won.
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