Definition
攻坚 literally means 'to attack a stronghold' in a military context, but in modern Chinese it is used much more often as a metaphor for tackling the hardest part of any difficult project or problem. You will see it in phrases like 攻坚克难 ('overcome difficulties and tackle key problems') and as part of policy terms such as 脱贫攻坚 ('poverty alleviation campaign'). It is a verb that can stand alone or appear as the first element in a four-character expression.
v.
(military) to storm a fortified positionto assault a stronghold(figurative) to tackle a key problemto take on a tough challenge
Examples
- 攻坚，。Bùduì zài língchén kāishǐ gōng jiān, xùnsù tūpò le dírén de fángxiàn.The troops began storming the fortifications at dawn and quickly broke through the enemy's line.
- 攻坚。Zhège kēyán tuánduì zhèngzài gōng jiān xīnpiàn zhìzào de héxīn jìshù.This research team is tackling the core technology of chip manufacturing.
- 。Tuōpín gōngjiān shì yì cháng bìxū dǎ yíng de yìng zhàng.The fight against poverty is a tough battle that must be won.
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