摩 拳 擦 掌

mó quán cā zhǎngdictionary entry

fig. to rub one's fists and wipe one's palms (idiom) / to roll up one's sleeves for battle / eager to get into action or start on a task

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-0e9eaf1263401132. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

摩拳擦掌 摩拳擦掌 [mo2 quan2 ca1 zhang3] /fig. to rub one's fists and wipe one's palms (idiom)/to roll up one's sleeves for battle/eager to get into action or start on a task/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

摩
mā
used in 摩挲[mā sa]
mó
to rub
拳
quán
fist / boxing
擦
cā
to rub / to scratch / to wipe / to polish / to apply (lipstick, lotion etc) / to brush (past) / to shred (a vegetable etc)
掌
zhǎng
palm of the hand / sole of the foot / paw / horseshoe / to slap / to hold in one's hand / to wield

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.