快刀斩麻
kuài​dāo​zhǎn​má

cut the Gordian knot

  • created sense approved 快刀斩麻/快刀斬麻 · kuài​dāo​zhǎn​má · cut the Gordian knot — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    快刀斩麻 / 快刀斬麻

    kuài​dāo​zhǎn​má

    cut the Gordian knot

    to settle a complicated matter by taking decisive action; to make a quick decision in a complex situation

    快刀 (literal) → 快刀 · kuài​dāo · sharp knife 斩 (literal) → 斩/斬 · zhǎn · to chop 麻 (literal) → 麻 · má · hemp

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

    created sense