大动干戈 dà dòng gāng ē — to start a big fight; to make a major issue

大动干戈
dà dòng gāng ē

Characters: 大 · 动 · 干 · 戈

Definitions

  1. to start a big fight; to make a major issue

More definitions

CC-CEDICT

  1. lit. to go to war (idiom)
  2. fig. to make a big fuss over sth

zdic(汉典)

  1. 大规模动用武力。
  2. 比喻声势浩大的行动。

ExtDict

  1. 干戈：古代的两种武器。大规模地进行战争。比喻大张声势地行事。

Examples

  • 为这点小事，何必大动干戈。

    Why make such a big fuss over such a trifle?

  • 两家公司为一块地皮大动干戈。

    The two companies launched a major battle over a plot of land.