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拉锯 (lā jù) — tug-of-war fight, seesaw battle (where neither side makes decisive progress); prolonged back-and-forth process (negotiations, struggles)

Definition

A 离合词 (separable verb): 拉锯 itself means 'to saw' literally, but figuratively it describes a prolonged back-and-forth struggle or seesaw battle where neither side wins decisively. Insert other elements (e.g. 拉了…锯, 拉过锯) for aspect or duration.

verb
tug-of-war fightseesaw battle (where neither side makes decisive progress)prolonged back-and-forth process (negotiations, struggles)

Examples

  • 拉锯。
    Shuāng fāng de bǐ sài jìn rù le lā jù zhuàng tài.
    The match between the two sides entered a seesaw battle.
  • 。
    Zhè chǎng tán pàn yǐ jīng lā le hǎo jiǔ de jù.
    This negotiation has been going back and forth for a long time.
  • 拉锯。
    Dí wǒ shuāng fāng zài nà lǐ lā jù le hǎo jǐ gè yuè.
    The enemy and our side were locked in a seesaw battle there for months.

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