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兩肋插刀

简两肋插刀 · 繁兩肋插刀

Mandarin · pinyin liǎng lèi chā dāo

(lit.) to take knives in both sides (idiom)
(fig.) to go to any lengths for a friend; to sacrifice oneself out of loyalty

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Characters in this entry

兩: liǎng · two, both, pair, couple; ounce
肋: lèi · lè · ribs; chest
插: chā · insert, stick into; plant
刀: dāo · knife; old coin; measure
两: liǎng · two, both, pair, couple; ounce

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–1–1 · liang3 lei4 cha1 dao1

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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.

兩肋插刀 · find source passages ↗ · 两肋插刀 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

loeng5 lak6 caap3 dou1

Cantonese word readings for 兩肋插刀. 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

(chiefly for a friend) to bend over backwards; to risk anything

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

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