明枪易躲，暗箭难防 míng qiāng yì duǒ ， àn jiàn nán fáng

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. easy to dodge the spear in the open, hard to avoid a stab in the dark (idiom); it is hard to guard against secret conspiracies

CHARACTERS

明 míng
HSK 1
bright, light, brilliant; clear
枪 qiāng
HSK 5
spear, lance; gun, rifle
易 yì
HSK 3
change; easy
躲 duǒ
HSK 5
hide, secrete; avoid, escape
暗 àn
HSK 5
dark; obscure; in secret, covert
箭 jiàn
HSK 6
arrow; type of bamboo
难 nán
HSK 3
difficult, arduous, hard; unable
防 fáng
HSK 5
defend; prevent; embankment