明槍易躲,暗箭難防 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 bright, light, brilliant; clear
槍 qiāng spear, lance; gun, rifle
易 yì change; easy
躲 duǒ hide, secrete; avoid, escape
暗 àn dark; obscure; in secret, covert
箭 jiàn arrow; type of bamboo
難 nán difficult, arduous, hard; unable
防 fáng defend; prevent; embankment