剑拔弩张
jiàn bá nǔ zhāng
tense to the point of fighting; on a knife-edge
Character by character
剑jiàn
sword
sword
拔bá
unsheathed
unsheathed
弩nǔ
crossbow
crossbow
张zhāng
drawn
drawn
Example
会议一开始，两派就剑拔弩张，谁也不让谁。
From the moment the meeting began the two factions were at daggers drawn, neither giving an inch.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Swords out of their scabbards and crossbows drawn: the second before a fight. Describes an atmosphere or a situation: 气氛剑拔弩张, 局势剑拔弩张, 两国一度剑拔弩张. 张 here means to draw a bow.
Learn this in Lesson 126 · HSK 7–9: 北京握手 (International news: the handshake in Beijing)
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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