brute force; sheer doggedness
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 5 examplesnoun
brute force; sheer doggedness; stubborn strength
informalRefers to strength applied thoughtlessly, without strategy or finesse. Often used colloquially. The '-儿' suffix is common in Northern dialects.
Tā他
yǒu有
gǔ股
zi子
mán蛮
jìn劲
r儿
，
dàn但
zuò做
shì事
bù不
dòng动
nǎo脑
zi子
。
He has a lot of brute force, but he doesn't use his brain when doing things.
Gàn干
huó活
bù不
néng能
guāng光
kào靠
mán蛮
jìn劲
r儿
，
yào要
huì会
zhǎo找
qiào窍
mén门
。
You can't rely solely on brute force to get work done; you need to know how to find the right tricks.
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Tā他
shǐ使
zhe着
mán蛮
jìn劲
r儿
bǎ把
nà那
kuài块
dà大
shí石
tou头
tuī推
kāi开
le了
。
He used sheer force to push that big rock aside.
Zhè这
xiǎo小
huǒ伙
zi子
yǒu有
yǒng勇
wú无
móu谋
，
zhǐ只
yǒu有
yī一
shēn身
de的
mán蛮
jìn劲
r儿
。
This young man is brave but not clever; he only has brute strength.
Jiě解
jué决
wèn问
tí题
yào要
yòng用
zhì智
huì慧
，
guāng光
yǒu有
mán蛮
jìn劲
r儿
kě可
bù不
xíng行
。
Solving problems requires wisdom; sheer force alone won't work.