- 刀子嘴豆腐心 dāozizuǐdòufuxīn sharp tongue but soft heartto have a sharp tongue but a soft heart; describing someone who speaks harshly but is actually kind-hearted
- 刀子嘴 dāozizuǐ sharp tongueA sharp tongue or a person who speaks in a sharp, blunt, or stinging manner
- 软刀子 ruǎndāozi underhanded tactics(metaphor) invisible or subtle methods used to harm or torture someone; underhanded or devious tactics that hurt people without them realizing it right away
- 天上下刀子 tiānshàngxiàdāozi even if the sky crumblesliterally meaning "knives rain down from the sky"; used to describe a commitment to do something no matter how extreme or dangerous the circumstances become
- 烧刀子 shāodāozi shaodaoziA strong, high-proof distilled spirit, often made from sorghum, corn, or wheat; also known as [[白酒|白酒|bai2 jiu3]].
- 豆腐嘴，刀子心 dòufuzuǐdāozixīn sweet talk but a cruel heartSoft-spoken but malicious; describes someone who talks as softly as tofu but has a heart as sharp as a knife
- 刀子嘴巴，豆腐心 dāozizuǐbadòufuxīn to be sharp-tongued but kind-heartedLiterally "knife mouth but bean curd heart"; describes someone who has a sharp tongue but conceals a soft and caring heart.
- 刀子口，豆腐心 dāozikǒudòufuxīn sharp tongue but soft heartto have a sharp tongue but a kind and soft heart (variant form)
- 刀子嘴，豆腐心 dāozizuǐdòufuxīn sharp tongue but soft heartTo speak harshly or sharply but actually have a kind heart; implies someone whose bark is worse than their bite
- 下刀子 xiàdāozi to rain knivesTo rain knives; used figuratively to describe extremely difficult or dangerous weather conditions or situations where one will proceed regardless of any obstacle.
