唇枪舌剑
chún qiāng shé jiàn
a sharp battle of words
Character by character
唇chún
lips
lips
枪qiāng
spear
spear
舌shé
tongue
tongue
剑jiàn
sword
sword
Example
谈判桌上，双方唇枪舌剑，一直争到深夜。
At the negotiating table the two sides crossed swords until late at night.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Describes a fast, sharp exchange between two sides in a debate, negotiation or quarrel: 一场唇枪舌剑, 展开唇枪舌剑. Compare 针锋相对, which stresses that each point meets its counterpoint rather than the speed and heat of the words.
Learn this in Lesson 227 · HSK 9+: 辩论的艺术 (The art of debate)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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