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Definitions
- 1. double-edged sword
- 2. classifier for blows of a sword
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Character focus
Stroke order
Word relationships
Usage notes
Common mistakes
剑 is often confused with 刀 (knife). 剑 has a straight, double-edged blade; 刀 has a curved, single-edged blade.
Formality
剑 is used in formal contexts like historical texts and martial arts, while 刀 is more common in everyday language for knives.
Example Sentences
2 shown他手里拿着一把 剑 。
化锄为 剑 ，化 剑 为锄。
Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.
Words Containing 剑
lit. a notch on the side of a boat to locate a sword dropped overboard (idiom); fig. an action made pointless by changed circumstances
imperial sword (giving bearer plenipotentiary powers)
sword
sword
sharp sword
Liu Jianfeng (1936-), second governor of Hainan
(bird species of China) slender-billed scimitar babbler (Pomatorhinus superciliaris)
swordsman
point
Jianchuan county in Dali Bai autonomous prefecture 大理白族自治州[dà lǐ bái zú zì zhì zhōu], Yunnan
Jianchuan county in Dali Bai autonomous prefecture 大理白族自治州[dà lǐ bái zú zì zhì zhōu], Yunnan
lit. with swords drawn and bows bent (idiom); fig. a state of mutual hostility
sword hilt
Cambridge
University of Cambridge
Jianhe county in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture 黔東南州|黔东南州[qián dōng nán zhōu], Guizhou
Jianhe county in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture 黔東南州|黔东南州[qián dōng nán zhōu], Guizhou
fencing
swordsmanship
Jian Zoupianfeng, pseudonym of prolific modern novelist
the sword moves like a dragon-fly (modern idiom)
sword blade
kendō (sports)
Jiange county in Guangyuan 廣元|广元[guǎng yuán], Sichuan
Jiange county in Guangyuan 廣元|广元[guǎng yuán], Sichuan
swordfish
Dorado (constellation)
(bird species of China) common ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
sisal hemp
saber-toothed tiger
stegosaurus
lit. honeyed words, a sword in the belly (idiom); fig. hypocritical and murderous
fight a battle of words
a kind of traditional Chinese sword-play
(double-edged) sword
imperial sword (giving bearer arbitrary powers)
straight or circular throwing-knife used by ninja and samurai (loanword from Japanese 手裏剣 shuriken)
fencing (sport)
fencer (i.e. sportsman involved in fencing)
wooden sword
floating between zither and sword (idiom); fig. wandering aimlessly with no tenured position
dagger
to perform a sword-dance
foil (fencing)
épée (fencing)
(bird species of China) long-billed plover (Charadrius placidus)
double-edged sword (lit. and fig.)
lit. Xiang Zhuang performs the sword dance, but his mind is set on Liu Bang 劉邦|刘邦[liú bāng] (idiom, refers to plot to kill Liu Bang during the Hongmen feast 鴻門宴|鸿门宴[hóng mén yàn] in 206 BC)
see 項莊舞劍，意在沛公|项庄舞剑，意在沛公[xiàng zhuāng wǔ jiàn , yì zài pèi gōng]
lit. Xiang Zhuang performs the sword dance, but his mind is set on Liu Bang 劉邦|刘邦[liú bāng] (idiom); refers to 206 BC plot to murder Liu Bang, aka Duke of Pei 沛公[pèi gōng] and the future Han emperor, during a sword dance at the Hongmen feast 鴻門宴|鸿门宴[hóng mén yàn]