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強弩之末

简强弩之末 · 繁強弩之末

Mandarin · pinyin qiáng nǔ zhī mò

(lit.) an arrow at the end of its flight (idiom)
(fig.) spent force

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Characters in this entry

強: qiáng · strong, powerful, energetic
弩: nǔ · cross-bow, bow; downward stroke
之: zhī · marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
末: mò · final, last, end; insignificant
强: qiáng · strong, powerful, energetic

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

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Mandarin tones

2–3–1–4 · qiang2 nu3 zhi1 mo4

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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.

強弩之末 · find source passages ↗ · 强弩之末 · find source passages ↗

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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

(figurative) exhausted strength; spent force; strong force that has been exhausted

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

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