一刀兩斷

See also: 一刀両断, and 一刀两断

Chinese

		one; single; a one; single; a; (before verbs) as soon as, once; (before a noun) entire (family, etc.)	knife	both; two; some both; two; some; a few; tael	to break; to judge; absolutely to break; to judge; absolutely; decidedly
trad. (一刀兩斷)		一	刀	兩	斷
simp. (一刀两断)		一	刀	两	断

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yīdāoliǎngduàn

  (Zhuyin): ㄧ ㄉㄠ ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄉㄨㄢˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jat¹ dou¹ loeng⁵ dyun⁶
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): it-to-lióng-toān

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yīdāoliǎngduàn [Phonetic: yìdāoliǎngduàn]
    • Zhuyin: ㄧ ㄉㄠ ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄉㄨㄢˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yidaoliǎngduàn
    • Wade–Giles: i¹-tao¹-liang³-tuan⁴
    • Yale: yī-dāu-lyǎng-dwàn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: idauleangduann
    • Palladius: идаоляндуань (idaoljanduanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ tɑʊ̯⁵⁵ li̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ tu̯än⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jat¹ dou¹ loeng⁵ dyun⁶
    • Yale: yāt dōu léuhng dyuhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jat⁷ dou¹ loeng⁵ dyn⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: yed¹ dou¹ lêng⁵ dün⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐt̚⁵ tou̯⁵⁵ lœːŋ¹³ tyːn²²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: it-to-lióng-toān
    • Tâi-lô: it-to-lióng-tuān
    • Phofsit Daibuun: itdoiliofngdoan
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /it̚³²⁻⁴ tɤ⁴⁴ liɔŋ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ tuan³³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /it̚³²⁻⁴ to⁴⁴ liɔŋ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tuan³³/

Idiom

一刀兩斷

1. to sever with one blow; to make a clean break

   • 但這孩子卻也有可敬的地方：他的從容，他的沉默，他的獨斷獨行，他的一去不回頭，都是力的表現，都是強者適者的表現。決不婆婆媽媽的，決不粘粘搭搭的，一針見血，一刀兩斷，這正是白種人之所以為白種人。 [MSC, trad.]
     但这孩子却也有可敬的地方：他的从容，他的沉默，他的独断独行，他的一去不回头，都是力的表现，都是强者适者的表现。决不婆婆妈妈的，决不粘粘搭搭的，一针见血，一刀两断，这正是白种人之所以为白种人。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 朱自清 (Zhu Ziqing), 《白種人——上帝的驕子》

     Dàn zhè háizi què yě yǒu kějìng de dìfang: tā de cóngróng, tā de chénmò, tā de dúduàndúxíng, tā de yī qù bù huítóu, dōu shì lì de biǎoxiàn, dōu shì qiángzhě shìzhě de biǎoxiàn. Juébù pópomāma de, juébù niánniándādā de, yīzhēnjiànxiě, yīdāoliǎngduàn, zhè zhèngshì báizhǒngrén zhī suǒ yǐ wéi báizhǒngrén. [Pinyin]

     But there was something about the child that could be respected. His leisurely way, his reticence, his arbitrariness, his way of walking ahead without looking back. These were manifestations of his power, the power of the strongest, of the fittest. The child was, by no means, overly careful, or irresolute. The child could hit the nail on the head and make a clean break. The child was a quintessential Caucasian.

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (一刀兩斷):

• → Japanese: 一刀両断(いっとうりょうだん) (ittōryōdan)
• → Korean: 일도양단(一刀兩斷) (ildoyangdan)
• → Vietnamese: nhất đao lưỡng đoạn (一刀兩斷)