兩國相爭，不斬來使 liǎng guó xiāng zhēng ， bù zhǎn lái shǐ

in war, do not kill envoys; spare messengers

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. when two kingdoms are at war, they don't execute envoys (idiom)

Characters

Character Meaning
兩 liǎng
two; both; some
國 guó
country; nation; state
相 xiāng HSK 3
each other; one another; mutually
爭 zhēng
to strive for; to vie for; to argue or debate
不 bù HSK 1
not; no; (negative prefix)
斬 zhǎn
to chop; to behead (as form of capital punishment)
來 lái
to come; to arrive; next
使 shǐ HSK 4
to make; to cause; to enable