一个巴掌拍不响 yī ge bā zhǎng pāi bù xiǎng

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. one palm alone cannot clap (proverb)
  2. fig. it takes two persons to start a dispute
  3. it takes two to tango
  4. it's difficult to achieve anything without support

CHARACTERS

一 yī
HSK 1
one; a, an; alone
个 ge
HSK 1
numerary adjunct, piece; single
巴 bā
HSK 5
greatly desire, anxiously hope
掌 zhǎng
HSK 5
palm of hand, sole of foot, paw
拍 pāi
HSK 5
clap, tap, beat; beat or rhythm
不 bù
HSK 1
no, not; un-; negative prefix
响 xiǎng
HSK 3
make sound, make noise; sound