Chinese word dictionary

剑拔弩张

jiàn bá nǔ zhāng · lit. with swords drawn and bows bent (idiom); fig. a state of mutual hostility; at daggers drawn

Practice word

Word information

Simplified剑拔弩张

Traditional劍拔弩張

Pinyinjiàn bá nǔ zhāng

Part of speechDictionary

HSK 3.0Not listed

HSK 2.0Not listed

Character breakdown

Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.

剑jiàn

sword, dagger, saber

拔bá

to uproot, to pull out; to select, to promote

弩nǔ

crossbow; an arrow falling, a downward stroke

张zhāng

to display; to expand, to open; to stretch; a sheet of paper

How to learn 剑拔弩张

Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.

When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.

Related vocabulary

Words with the same characters

Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.

张zhāng

surname Zhang; to open up; to spread; sheet of paper; classifier for flat objects, sheet; classifier for votes

紧张jǐnzhāng

nervous; keyed up; intense; tense; strained; in short supply; scarce; CL:陣|阵[zhen4]

海拔hǎibá

height above sea level; elevation

剑jiàn

double-edged sword; CL:口[kou3],把[ba3]; classifier for blows of a sword; variant of 劍|剑[jian4]

夸张kuāzhāng

to exaggerate; overstated; exaggerated; hyperbole; (coll.) excessive; ridiculous; outrageous

选拔xuǎnbá

to select the best