四两拨千斤
sì​liǎng​bō​qiān​jīn

to achieve much with little effort

  • created sense approved 四两拨千斤/四兩撥千斤 · sì​liǎng​bō​qiān​jīn · to achieve much with little effort — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    四两拨千斤 / 四兩撥千斤

    sì​liǎng​bō​qiān​jīn

    to achieve much with little effort

    literally "four ounces can move a thousand catties"; to use clever maneuvers or technical skill to overcome a much stronger force or accomplish a task with minimal effort

    四 (literal) → 四 · sì · four 两 (literal) → 两/兩 · liǎng · liang 拨 (literal) → 拨/撥 · bō · to move, dial, or set 千斤 (literal) → 千斤 · qiān​jīn · one thousand catties

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense

  • created sense approved 四两拨千斤/四兩撥千斤 · sì​liǎng​bō​qiān​jīn · to shift the focus — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    四两拨千斤 / 四兩撥千斤

    sì​liǎng​bō​qiān​jīn

    to shift the focus

    to cleverly divert the focus of a discussion or shift attention away from a difficult point

    四 (literal) → 四 · sì · four 两 (literal) → 两/兩 · liǎng · liang 拨 (literal) → 拨/撥 · bō · to move, dial, or set 千斤 (literal) → 千斤 · qiān​jīn · one thousand catties

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense