抽刀斩乱麻
chōu​dāo​zhǎn​luàn​má

cut the Gordian knot

  • created sense approved 抽刀斩乱麻/抽刀斬亂麻 · chōu​dāo​zhǎn​luàn​má · cut the Gordian knot — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    抽刀斩乱麻 / 抽刀斬亂麻

    chōu​dāo​zhǎn​luàn​má

    cut the Gordian knot

    to use a sharp knife to cut through a tangled mess of hemp; to resolve a complex problem with quick and decisive action

    抽 (literal) → 抽 · chōu · to pull out 刀 (literal) → 刀 · dāo · knife 斩 (literal) → 斩/斬 · zhǎn · to chop 乱麻 (literal) → 乱麻/亂麻 · luàn​má · mess

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

    created sense