| 快刀斩乱麻 |
kuài dāo zhǎn luàn má |
lit. quick sword cuts through tangled hemp (idiom); decisive action in a complex situation / cutting the Gordian knot |
| 快 |
kuài |
rapid / quick / speed / rate / soon / almost / to make haste / clever / sharp (of knives or wits) / forthright / plainspoken / gratified / pleased / pleasant |
| 刀 |
Dāo |
surname Dao |
| 刀 |
dāo |
knife; blade; single-edged sword; cutlass (CL:把) / (slang) (loanword) dollar / classifier for sets of one hundred sheets (of paper) / classifier for knife cuts or stabs / (Internet slang) to bargain; to ask for a small discount (esp. on second-hand marketplaces) / (Internet slang) to knife (sb) (often used hyperbolically, as in 想刀他 "I could kill him!") |
| 斩 |
zhǎn |
to behead (as form of capital punishment) / to chop |
| 乱 |
luàn |
in confusion or disorder / in a confused state of mind / disorder / upheaval / riot / illicit sexual relations / to throw into disorder / to mix up / indiscriminate / random / arbitrary |
| 乱麻 |
luàn má |
lit. tangled skein / in a tremendous muddle / confused |
| 麻 |
má |
hemp (variant of 麻) |
| 麻 |
Má |
surname Ma |
| 麻 |
má |
generic name for hemp, flax etc / hemp or flax fiber for textile materials / sesame / CL:缕 / (of materials) rough or coarse / pocked / pitted / to have pins and needles or tingling / to feel numb |