叫板 (jiào bǎn) — (in Peking opera) to prolong a spoken line as a cue for the orchestra; (coll.) to challenge or provoke (sb./sth./a system) openly
Definition
A two-sense verb: the technical opera sense (cues the orchestra before singing) and the colloquial 'to openly challenge / pick a fight.' Unlike 挑战, which is neutral and can be positive, 叫板 is always confrontational — calling someone out.
verb
(in Peking opera) to prolong a spoken line as a cue for the orchestra(coll.) to challenge or provoke (sb./sth./a system) openly
Examples
- ，叫板。Jīng jù lǐ, yǎn yuán zài kāi chàng zhī qián yào xiān jiào bǎn.In Peking opera, performers need to signal the musicians before starting to sing before starting to sing.
- 叫板。Tā bù gǎn gēn jīng lǐ zhí jiē jiào bǎn.He didn't dare to directly challenge the manager.
- 叫板。Liǎng gè rén yīn wèi yì diǎn xiǎo shì jiù hù xiāng jiào bǎn.The two challenged each other over a trivial matter.
Appears in
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