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一刀兩斷

简一刀两断 · 繁一刀兩斷

Mandarin · pinyin yī dāo liǎng duàn

(idiom) to make a clean break with; to have nothing more to do with

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Characters in this entry

一: yī · one; a, an; alone
刀: dāo · knife; old coin; measure
兩: liǎng · two, both, pair, couple; ounce
斷: Look up this written character
两: liǎng · two, both, pair, couple; ounce
断: duàn · sever, cut off; interrupt

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–3–4 · yi1 dao1 liang3 duan4

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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.

一刀兩斷 · find source passages ↗ · 一刀两断 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jat1 dou1 loeng5 dyun6

Cantonese word readings for 一刀兩斷. 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.

phrase

(idiomatic) to sever with one blow; to make a clean break

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

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