sharpen weapons and feed horses; prepare for battle
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
to sharpen the weapons and feed the horses; to make preparations for war; to get ready for battle
literaryAlso written as 秣马厉兵 (mò mǎ lì bīng). Originally referred to specific military preparations (sharpening weapons and feeding horses), now used broadly for any intense preparation for a challenge.
Dí敌
jūn军
zhèng正
zài在
biān边
jìng境
lì厉
bīng兵
mò秣
mǎ马
，
xíng形
shì势
shí十
fēn分
jǐn紧
zhāng张
。
The enemy troops are preparing for war at the border, and the situation is extremely tense.
Wèi为
le了
zhè这
cì次
mǎ马
lā拉
sōng松
bǐ比
sài赛
，
tā他
lì厉
bīng兵
mò秣
mǎ马
xùn训
liàn练
le了
zhěng整
zhěng整
yī一
nián年
。
He spent a whole year making intensive preparations and training for this marathon.
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Kǎo考
shì试
zài在
jí即
，
tóng同
xué学
men们
dōu都
zài在
lì厉
bīng兵
mò秣
mǎ马
，
zhǔn准
bèi备
zuì最
hòu后
yī一
bó搏
。
With the exam approaching, all the students are preparing intensively for the final push.