快刀斬亂麻
简 快刀斩乱麻 · 繁 快刀斬亂麻Meanings
- lit. quick sword cuts through tangled hemp (idiom); decisive action in a complex situation
- cutting the Gordian knot
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Mandarin tones
4–1–3–4–2 · kuai4 dao1 zhan3 luan4 ma2
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
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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.
快刀斬亂麻 · find source passages ↗ · 快刀斩乱麻 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
faai3 dou1 zaam2 lyun6 maa4
Cantonese word readings for 快刀斬亂麻. 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
- (figurative) to cut the Gordian knot; to solve a complex problem using a decisive and effective method
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
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