刀下留人

Chinese

		knife	under; next; lower under; next; lower; below; underneath; down(wards); to go down; latter	leave (message); to retain; to stay leave (message); to retain; to stay; to remain; to keep; to preserve	man; person; people
simp. and trad. (刀下留人)		刀	下	留	人
Literally: “spare the person under the knife”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): dāoxiàliúrén

  (Zhuyin): ㄉㄠ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄖㄣˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): dou¹ haa⁶ lau⁴ jan⁴

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: dāoxiàliúrén
    • Zhuyin: ㄉㄠ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄖㄣˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: daosiàlióurén
    • Wade–Giles: tao¹-hsia⁴-liu²-jên²
    • Yale: dāu-syà-lyóu-rén
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: daushiahliouren
    • Palladius: даосялюжэнь (daosjaljužɛnʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tɑʊ̯⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ li̯oʊ̯³⁵ ʐən³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: dou¹ haa⁶ lau⁴ jan⁴
    • Yale: dōu hah làuh yàhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dou¹ haa⁶ lau⁴ jan⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: dou¹ ha⁶ leo⁴ yen⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tou̯⁵⁵ haː²² lɐu̯²¹ jɐn²¹/

Idiom

刀下留人

1. used as an exclamation requesting that the decapitation of a prisoner be stayed or suspended: Spare him / her!