legs of a tripod; tripartite confrontation
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
the legs of a tripod cauldron; three-way confrontation
literaryUsed literally for the three legs of an ancient Chinese tripod vessel (鼎). More commonly used as a metaphor to describe a situation of tripartite confrontation or stalemate.
Gǔ古
dài代
qīng青
tóng铜
dǐng鼎
duō多
wéi为
sān三
zú足
，
zhè这
jiù就
shì是
suǒ所
wèi谓
de的
dǐng鼎
zú足
。
Ancient bronze tripods mostly had three legs, which is what is called 'dǐng zú'.
Sān三
jiā家
gōng公
sī司
shì势
chéng成
dǐng鼎
zú足
，
zài在
shì市
chǎng场
shàng上
jī激
liè烈
jìng竞
zhēng争
。
The three companies formed a tripartite confrontation, competing fiercely in the market.
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Gāi该
guó国
zhèng政
zhì治
gé格
jú局
shì是
dǐng鼎
zú足
ér而
sān三
，
méi没
yǒu有
yī一
fāng方
néng能
qǔ取
dé得
jué绝
duì对
yōu优
shì势
。
The country's political landscape is a three-way split, with no single party able to gain an absolute advantage.
Lì历
shǐ史
gù故
shì事
zhōng中
，
Wèi魏
、
Shǔ蜀
、
Wú吴
sān三
guó国
dǐng鼎
zú足
ér而
lì立
。
In historical tales, the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu stood in a tripartite confrontation.