tiě jiāng jūn bǎ méndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. General Iron is guarding the door (idiom) / fig. the door is padlocked — nobody inside
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-abcacc2d11d23b04. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

鐵將軍把門 铁将军把门 [tie3 jiang1 jun1 ba3 men2] /lit. General Iron is guarding the door (idiom)/fig. the door is padlocked — nobody inside/

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.

Other forms in these source records: 鐵將軍把門

  • 铁
    tiě

    iron (metal) / arms / weapons / hard / strong / violent / unshakeable / determined / close / tight (slang)

    Tiě

    surname Tie

  • 将
    jiāng

    will / shall / to use / to take / to checkmate / just a short while ago / (introduces object of main verb, used in the same way as 把[bǎ])

    jiàng

    (bound form) a general / (literary) to command / to lead / (Chinese chess) general (on the black side, equivalent to a king in Western chess)

    qiāng

    to desire / to invite / to request

  • 军
    jūn

    (bound form) army / military

  • 把
    bǎ

    to hold / to grasp / to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate / handlebar / classifier: handful, bundle, bunch / classifier for things with handles / (used to put the object before the verb: 把[bǎ] + {noun} + {verb})

    bà

    handle

  • 门
    mén

    gate / door / doorway / gateway / opening (CL:扇[shàn]) / valve / switch / other door-like or gate-like structure / way to do sth / knack / method / approach / family / household / lineage / (bound form) sect / school / faction (religious or academic) / (bound form) class / category / division / phylum / classifier for courses, fields of study, branches of technology, relatives by marriage, guns etc / (suffix) -gate (scandal)

    Mén

    surname Men

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.