war of words; verbal sparring; sharp-tongued debate
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
war of words; verbal sparring; sharp-tongued debate
literaryVariant form of 唇枪舌剑. Literally 'tongue like sword, lips like spear'. Describes intense verbal argumentation or polemics where both sides trade sharp retorts.
Biàn辩
lùn论
sài赛
shàng上
，
shuāng双
fāng方
shé舌
jiàn剑
chún唇
qiāng枪
，
hù互
bù不
xiāng相
ràng让
。
At the debate competition, the two sides engaged in a war of words, neither yielding to the other.
Liǎng两
wèi位
zhèng政
kè客
wéi为
le了
zhè这
gè个
yì议
tí题
shé舌
jiàn剑
chún唇
qiāng枪
，
chǎo吵
de得
miàn面
hóng红
ěr耳
chì赤
。
The two politicians crossed swords over this issue, arguing until they were red in the face.
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Zhè这
chǎng场
tái谈
pàn判
zuì最
hòu后
biàn变
chéng成
le了
shé舌
jiàn剑
chún唇
qiāng枪
de的
jiāo交
fēng锋
。
This negotiation eventually turned into a clash of verbal swords.