📖 Meaning
To beat someone with fists and kick with feet. It describes a thorough physical beating or assault. The phrase vividly portrays a violent attack using both hands and feet.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to the Yuan dynasty playwright Li Shouqing's play 'Wu Yuan Plays the Flute' (伍员吹箫), Act 1, where the original form was '拳撞脚踢' (fists ramming, feet kicking). It was later standardized to '拳打脚踢' in common usage. The phrase gained wider circulation through its appearance in Qing dynasty author Wu Jingzi's novel 'The Scholars' (儒林外史), Chapter 9, where a character complains of being beaten on account of two other people.
💡 Example Usage
他被几个歹徒拳打脚踢了一顿，伤得不轻。
He was beaten black and blue by several thugs who punched and kicked him mercilessly.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 拳打脚踢
- Pinyin: quán dǎ jiǎo tī
- Literal Translation: fist, strike, foot, kick
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4