Definition
铁蹄 (tiě tí) literally refers to the iron-shod hooves of a horse, but in modern Chinese it is almost always used as a metaphor for the brutal oppression or invasion of an army or regime — the image of enemy forces trampling the land like horses. You'll encounter it in historical or political contexts, often in the phrase 在……的∼下 ('under the iron heel of …'). The literal meaning is rare and mostly limited to classical poetry.
n.
(figurative) cruel oppressionespecially by an invading army or regime(literal) iron hooves (of a horse)
Examples
- 铁蹄。Nàge chéngshì céngjīng bèi qīnlüèzhě de tiě tí yāpò.That city was once oppressed under the iron heel of the invaders.
- 铁蹄。Zhànmǎ de tiě tí tà zài shítou shàng jiàn qǐ huǒhuā.The war horse's iron hooves struck sparks on the stones.
- 铁蹄，。Zài zhímínzhě de tiě tí xià, dāngdì wénhuà zāo dào huǐmiè.Under the iron heel of the colonizers, the local culture was destroyed.
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