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拉鋸

简拉锯 · 繁拉鋸

Mandarin · pinyin lā jù

a two-man saw
fig. to-and-fro between two sides

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Characters in this entry

拉: lā · pull, drag; seize, hold; lengthen
鋸: Look up this written character
锯: jù · a saw; to saw; amputate

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–4 · la1 ju4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

laai1 goe3

Cantonese word readings for 拉鋸. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

verb

to work a two-man saw
(figurative, of battle etc.) to seesaw back and forth

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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