以毒攻毒 yǐ dú gōng dú

to fight fire with fire; to fight evil with evil

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency 32805th word

Definitions

  1. 1. to fight fire with fire
  2. 2. to fight evil with evil
  3. 3. set a thief to catch a thief
  4. 4. to cure ills with poison (TCM)

Characters

Character Meaning
以 yǐ HSK 2
to use; by means of; according to
毒 dú HSK 5
poison; poisonous; to poison
攻 gōng HSK 6
to attack; to study; to accuse
毒 dú HSK 5
poison; poisonous; to poison