强敌 (qiáng dí) — formidable enemy; strong opponent

Definition

A literary/written term for a 'formidable enemy' or 'strong opponent,' used mainly in war, sports, and historical contexts rather than daily speech.

noun

formidable enemystrong opponent

Measure word · 个

强敌，。
Miàn duì qiáng dí, wǒ men bì xū tuán jié yí zhì.
Faced with a formidable enemy, we must unite as one.
强敌，。
Zhè cì bǐ sài de qiáng dí hěn duō, bù néng qīng dí.
There are many strong opponents in this competition; we can't underestimate them.
强敌。
Lì shǐ shàng zhè ge guó jiā céng duō cì jī bài qiáng dí.
Historically, this country has defeated formidable enemies many times.

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.

强 gives strong and 敌 gives enemy, together naming a formidable foe.

Characters in this word

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 強; 强 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 強 pairs an insect component with a sound component; this explains 強, not the simplified 强.

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.