DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

大敵當前

简大敌当前 · 繁大敵當前

Mandarin · pinyin dà dí dāng qián

(idiom) to be faced with a formidable enemy

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

大: dà · big, great, vast, large, high
敵: Look up this written character
當: dāng · bear, accept, undertake; just
前: qián · in front, forward; preceding
敌: dí · enemy, foe, rival; resist
当: dāng · bear, accept, undertake; just

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–2–1–2 · da4 di2 dang1 qian2

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

5character 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.

大敵當前 · find source passages ↗ · 大敌当前 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

daai6 dik6 dong1 cin4

Cantonese word readings for 大敵當前. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) to be confronted with a formidable enemy

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

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