針鋒相對

简 针锋相对 · 繁 針鋒相對
Mandarin · pinyin zhēn fēng xiāng duì

Meanings

  1. to oppose each other with equal harshness (idiom); tit for tat
  2. measure for measure
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Characters in this entry

針
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鋒
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相
xiāng · mutual, reciprocal, each other
對
duì · correct, right; facing, opposed
针
zhēn · needle; pin; tack; acupuncture
锋
fēng · point of spear, sharp point
对
duì · correct, right; facing, opposed
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–1–1–4 · zhen1 feng1 xiang1 dui4

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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.

針鋒相對 · find source passages ↗ · 针锋相对 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zam1 fung1 soeng1 deoi3

Cantonese word readings for 針鋒相對. 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

  1. (idiomatic) to be diametrically opposed; to be in sharp opposition; to go toe-to-toe with somebody in action or speech; to give tit for tat

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

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

針鋒相對 · zhen1 feng1 xiang1 dui4
CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG · edition 2026-10-13 · source line 111,563
Original dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source & transformation details
Exact source record針鋒相對 针锋相对 [zhen1 feng1 xiang1 dui4] /to oppose each other with equal harshness (idiom); tit for tat/measure for measure/