DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

以子之矛，攻子之盾

Mandarin · pinyin yǐ zǐ zhī máo , gōng zǐ zhī dùn

lit. use sb's spear to attack his shield (idiom, derived from Han Feizi 韓非子); turning a weapon against its owner
fig. to attack an opponent using his own devices
hoist with his own petard

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Characters in this entry

以: yǐ · by means of; thereby, therefore; consider as; in order to
子: zǐ · offspring, child; fruit, seed of; first earthly branch
之: zhī · marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
矛: máo · spear, lance; Kangxi radical 110
攻: gōng · attack, assault; criticize
盾: dùn · shield, shield-shaped object; currency sign for Dutch guilder

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