快刀斩乱麻
Traditional form:
快刀斬亂麻
Pinyin (reading):
kuàidāozhǎnluànmá
Definitions:
- lit. quick sword cuts through tangled hemp (idiom); decisive action in a complex situation
- cutting the Gordian knot
Characters:
- 快 - speedy, rapid, quick; soon
- 刀 - knife; old coin; measure
- 斩 - to chop, to cut, to sever; to behead
- 乱 - anarchy, chaos; revolt
- 麻 - hemp, flax, sesame; numb
Traditional characters: