快刀斬亂麻
Chinese
| sharp knife | behead; chop | tangled skein; tremendous muddle; jumble | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (快刀斬亂麻) | 快刀 | 斬 | 亂麻 | |
| simp. (快刀斩乱麻) | 快刀 | 斩 | 乱麻 | |
Pronunciation
- Mandarin
- Cantonese (Jyutping): faai3 dou1 zaam2 lyun6 maa4
- Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): khoài-to chám loān-môa
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Hanyu Pinyin: kuàidāo zhǎn luànmá
- Zhuyin: ㄎㄨㄞˋ ㄉㄠ ㄓㄢˇ ㄌㄨㄢˋ ㄇㄚˊ
- Tongyong Pinyin: kuàidao jhǎn luànmá
- Wade–Giles: kʻuai4-tao1 chan3 luan4-ma2
- Yale: kwài-dāu jǎn lwàn-má
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: kuaydau jaan luannma
- Palladius: куайдао чжань луаньма (kuajdao čžanʹ luanʹma)
- Sinological IPA (key): /kʰu̯aɪ̯⁵¹ tɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂän²¹⁴⁻²¹ lu̯än⁵¹ mä³⁵/
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: faai3 dou1 zaam2 lyun6 maa4
- Yale: faai dōu jáam lyuhn màh
- Cantonese Pinyin: faai3 dou1 dzaam2 lyn6 maa4
- Guangdong Romanization: fai3 dou1 zam2 lün6 ma4
- Sinological IPA (key): /faːi̯³³ tou̯⁵⁵ t͡saːm³⁵ lyːn²² maː²¹/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khoài-to chám loān-môa
- Tâi-lô: khuài-to tsám luān-muâ
- Phofsit Daibuun: qoae'doy zarm loaxnmoaa
- IPA (Xiamen): /kʰuai²¹⁻⁵³ to⁴⁴ t͡sam⁵³⁻⁴⁴ luan²²⁻²¹ muã²⁴/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen)
Idiom
快刀斬亂麻
- (figurative) to cut the Gordian knot; to solve a complex problem using a decisive and effective method
Synonyms
- 快刀斬麻／快刀斩麻
- 快刀斷亂麻／快刀断乱麻
- 快刀斬亂絲／快刀斩乱丝
Descendants
- → Japanese: 快刀乱麻を断つ (kaitō ranma o tatsu) (calque)