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折戟沉沙

Mandarin · pinyin zhé jǐ chén shā

lit. broken halberds embedded in the sand (idiom)
fig. reminder of a fierce battle; remnants of a disastrous defeat

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Characters in this entry

折: zhé · break off, snap; bend
戟: jǐ · halberd with crescent blade
沉: chén · sink, submerge; addicted to
沙: shā · sand, gravel, pebbles; granulated

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Mandarin tones

2–3–2–1 · zhe2 ji3 chen2 sha1

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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.

verb

to be defeated and sustain heavy damage or casualties

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

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