saw back and forth; seesaw struggle
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesverb
to saw back and forth (with a large saw operated by two people)
Describes the traditional method of sawing large timber where two people pull a large saw alternately.
Liǎng两
gè个
mù木
jiàng匠
zhàn站
zài在
mù木
tou头
de的
liǎng两
biān边
lā拉
jù锯
。
Two carpenters stood on opposite sides of the log, sawing back and forth.
Zhè这
bǎ把
dà大
jù锯
hěn很
zhòng重
，
bì必
xū须
liǎng两
rén人
pèi配
hé合
cái才
néng能
lā拉
jù锯
。
This large saw is very heavy; two people must coordinate to saw with it.
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Tā他
men们
lā拉
jù锯
jù锯
le了
yī一
xià下
wǔ午
，
zhōng终
yú于
bǎ把
shù树
gàn干
jù锯
duàn断
le了
。
They sawed back and forth all afternoon, finally cutting through the tree trunk.
verb
to seesaw; to engage in a back-and-forth struggle; to be deadlocked
Metaphorical usage describing a stalemate where neither side gains advantage, often used in politics, sports, or negotiations.
Zhè这
chǎng场
bǐ比
sài赛
xiàn陷
rù入
le了
lā拉
jù锯
zhàn战
，
bǐ比
fēn分
jiāo交
tì替
shàng上
shēng升
。
The match turned into a seesaw battle, with the score rising alternately.
Shuāng双
fāng方
tán谈
pàn判
chéng呈
xiàn现
lā拉
jù锯
zhuàng状
tài态
，
shuí谁
dōu都
bù不
kěn肯
ràng让
bù步
。
The negotiations between both sides reached a stalemate, with neither willing to compromise.
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Gǔ股
shì市
zài在
30003
diǎn0
fù0
jìn0
lā点
jù附
zhǎng近
diē拉
hù锯
，
xiàn涨
跌
互
现
。
The stock market seesawed near the 3000-point level, with gains and losses alternating.