敲边鼓 qiāobiāngǔ HSK7 to support from the sidelines Origin Definitions Defs Strokes Stroke Words Sentences Sents 敲 qiāo verb to knock to hit, strike, or tap; to beat a drum; to rap on a door or surface边鼓 邊鼓 biāngǔ side hits (bound form) drumbeats on the edge of a drumhead, which produce a weaker sound; figuratively refers to things that play a supporting or auxiliary role