ce1 leon4 zin3車輪戰车轮战
Jyutpingce1 leon4 zin3
Yalechē lèuhn jin
Definition
A battle of attrition; a tactic of continuous attacks to wear down an opponent's physical strength.
colloquialworkpeople
How it's used
Originally a military or sports strategy, this term is frequently applied to office life or social situations where someone is subjected to a series of back to back tasks or meetings without a break. It carries a strong connotation of being overwhelmed and physically or mentally drained by the sheer volume of repetitive demands. It is rarely used in a literal combat sense in modern daily speech.
Examples
They used a war of attrition against me, it was really exhausting.
Related words
Common phrases
to engage in a war of attrition
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with a simple relay race or team effort, as the term specifically emphasizes the exhausting, repetitive nature of the pressure applied to the target.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
