Chinese word dictionary

磨刀霍霍

mó dāo huò huò · lit. to sharpen one's sword (idiom); fig. to prepare to attack; to be getting ready for battle

Practice word

Word information

Simplified磨刀霍霍

Traditional磨刀霍霍

Pinyinmó dāo huò huò

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.

磨mó

millstone; to grind, to polish, to rub, to wear out

刀dāo

knife; old coin; measure

霍huò

quickly, suddenly; surname

霍huò

quickly, suddenly; surname

How to learn 磨刀霍霍

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.

刀dāo

knife; blade; single-edged sword; cutlass (CL:把[ba3]); (slang) (loanword) dollar; classifier for sets of one hundred sheets (of paper); classifier for knife cuts or stabs; (Internet slang) to bargain; to ask for a small discount (esp. on second-hand marketplaces); surname Dao

剪刀jiǎndāo

scissors; CL:把[ba3]

打磨dǎmó

to polish; to burnish; to shine

挥霍huīhuò

to squander money; extravagant; prodigal; free and easy; agile

磨mó

to rub; to grind; to polish; to sharpen; to wear down; to die out; to waste time; to pester; to insist

磨合móhé

to break in; to wear in