DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

補刀

简补刀 · 繁補刀

Mandarin · pinyin bǔ dāo

(gaming) to finish off a wounded combatant
(fig.) to attack sb who is already under fire
to pile on
(sphragistics) to retouch a seal after taking a first impression

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

補: Look up this written character
刀: dāo · knife; old coin; measure
补: bǔ · mend, patch, fix, repair, restore

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

3–1 · bu3 dao1

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

2character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

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.

補刀 · find source passages ↗ · 补刀 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

verb

(verb-object) to perform the last attack on an enemy
(verb-object) to finish off; to give the coup de grâce
(in general) to deal the finishing blow

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack