sharpness and bluntness; success and failure
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesnoun
sharpness or bluntness (of blades); quality of a cutting edge
literaryUsed to describe the quality of weapons or tools, often in the structure '有~' or '无~'.
Zhè这
xiē些
dāo刀
jiàn剑
gè各
yǒu有
lì利
dùn钝
，
xū需
zǐ仔
xì细
tiāo挑
xuǎn选
。
These swords vary in sharpness and must be carefully selected.
Gōng工
jiàng匠
jiǎn检
shì视
dāo刀
jiàn剑
zhī之
lì利
dùn钝
。
The craftsman inspects the sharpness of the blades.
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Bīng兵
qì器
suī虽
yǒu有
lì利
dùn钝
，
yǒng勇
qì气
bù不
kě可
wú无
。
Although weapons may be sharp or blunt, courage is indispensable.
noun
favorable or adverse circumstances; success or failure
formalMost commonly encountered in the classical set phrase '成败利钝' (success or failure, advantage or disadvantage), meaning regardless of the outcome.
Zhì至
yú于
chéng成
bài败
lì利
dùn钝
，
fēi非
chén臣
zhī之
míng明
suǒ所
néng能
nì逆
dǔ睹
yě也
。
As for whether it will succeed or fail, that is not something my wisdom can foresee.
Bù不
lùn论
chéng成
bài败
lì利
dùn钝
，
wǒ我
men们
dōu都
yào要
quán全
lì力
yǐ以
fù赴
。
Regardless of success or failure, we must go all out.
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Cǐ此
shì事
chéng成
bài败
lì利
dùn钝
，
shàng尚
wèi未
kě可
zhī知
。
Whether this matter will turn out favorably or unfavorably is still unknown.