Buy a calf and sell a knife
Buy a calf and sell a knife, a Chinese idiom, Pinyin is m à ID ú m à ID à o, which means to sell swords and buy cattle. Originally, it means to lay down arms and engage in farming. Later, it means to change business, farmers or bad people to change evil and become good. From "reply to governor Guangzhong".
The origin of Idioms
In answer to governor Guangzhong written by Zhang Juzheng of Ming Dynasty, "it is not necessary to fight against millet and pieces of armor, but to make all the aggressors who have been fighting for years to surrender. It is not as good as buying a calf and selling a knife."
Analysis of Idioms
Synonyms: selling swords to buy cattle, buying cattle to sell swords; Antonyms: fighting in the north and south, fighting militarily, selling calves to buy swords
Idiom usage
Stop the war.
Buy a calf and sell a knife
employment of both kindness and severity - ēn wēi bìng zhòng
stand on the edge of a pool and idly long for fish - lín hé xiàn yú
praiseworthy for one's excellent conduct - nán néng kě guì
be guilty of the most heinous crimes - zuì è tāo tiān
True gold is not afraid of fire - zhēn jīn bù pà huǒ