关公面前耍大刀 guān gōng miàn qián shuǎ dà dāo

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. to wield the broadsword in the presence of Lord Guan (idiom)
  2. fig. to make a fool of oneself by showing off in front of an expert

CHARACTERS

关 guān
HSK 1
frontier pass; close; relation
公 gōng
HSK 2
fair, equitable; public; duke
面 miàn
HSK 1
face; surface; plane; side, dimension
前 qián
HSK 1
in front, forward; preceding
耍 shuǎ
HSK 6
frolic, play, amuse, play with
大 dà
HSK 1
big, great, vast, large, high
刀 dāo
HSK 4
knife; old coin; measure