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

easy to guard against open attack, not hidden

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 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

Character Meaning
明 míng HSK 1
bright; (of meaning) clear; to understand
枪 qiāng HSK 5
gun; firearm; rifle
易 yì HSK 3
easy; to change; to exchange
躲 duǒ HSK 5
to avoid; to hide; to dodge
暗 àn HSK 5
dark; hidden; secret
箭 jiàn HSK 6
arrow
难 nán HSK 3
difficult; difficult (to...); difficulty
防 fáng HSK 5
to prevent; to protect; to defend