| 天上下刀子 |
tiān shàng xià dāo zi |
lit. knives rain down from the sky (idiom) / fig. (even if) the sky crumbles |
| 天 |
tiān |
day / sky / heaven |
| 天上 |
tiān shàng |
the sky; the heavens |
| 上 |
shǎng |
used in 上声 |
| 上 |
shàng |
(bound form) up; upper; above; previous / first (of multiple parts) / to climb; to get onto; to go up / to attend (class or university) / (directional complement) up / (noun suffix) on; above |
| 上下 |
shàng xià |
the top and bottom of sth / the full vertical extent of sth; from top to bottom / to go up and down / before and after (as in 上下文 "context") / (used after a quantity) approximately; ... or so / (in a social hierarchy) the high and the low; seniors and juniors (as in 上下和睦 "harmony between superiors and subordinates") / all members of a group (as in 举国上下 "the entire nation") / relative superiority (as in 不相上下 "evenly matched") |
| 下 |
xià |
down / downwards / below / lower / later / next (week etc) / second (of two parts) / to decline / to go down / to arrive at (a decision, conclusion etc) / measure word to show the frequency of an action |
| 刀 |
Dāo |
surname Dao |
| 刀 |
dāo |
knife / blade / single-edged sword / cutlass / CL:把 / (slang) dollar (loanword) / classifier for sets of one hundred sheets (of paper) / classifier for knife cuts or stabs |
| 刀子 |
dāo zi |
knife / CL:把 |
| 子 |
zǐ |
son / child / seed / egg / small thing / 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the rat / viscount, fourth of five orders of nobility 五等爵位 / ancient Chinese compass point: 0° (north) / subsidiary; subordinate; (prefix) sub- |
| 子 |
zi |
noun suffix, as in 椅子 "chair" |