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I'd like to know which of these two phrases you use more often. I know that in general they both mean "a double edged sword" is one used more in Taiwan or in mainland China?

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  • This is an interesting comparison. The usage of “两面刀” is rare, "两面三刀" though is frequently used in both written and colloquial languages.
    – Wang Zong'an
    May 20, 2016 at 21:34

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刀, by definition, usually has a curved blade with one sharpened edge. Thus a Samurai's sword, a scimitar, and a machete all fall into the definition of 刀.

If it has a double edge, and it has a straight shape, it is usually a 剑.

双刃剑 is the standard translation of double-edged sword. There is no usage difference between Taiwan and the mainland.

In very rare cases, 两面刀 is short for 两面三刀, which describes a two-faced person who is secretly trying to harm the other.

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双刃剑 definitely. Chinese swords are always double edged.

There is no 两面刀, it's too dangerous for the user. This word became a metaphor for 'double-dealers'.

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For such comparison, google is a nice tool. You can compare the popularity of words by the number of results found by Google. Remember to put a phrase in double quotes to search the exact phrase.

enter image description here versus enter image description here

Moreover,

  • "两面刀" used to be a popular phrase in Ming dynasty. Most search results of "两面刀" are sayings in Ming dynasty that contain "两面刀".
  • The literal meanings of "双刃剑", "两面刀" are rarely used, their metaphorical meanings are quite different.
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  • Is this a location related feature? I'm in China and it doesn't give me this, even if I'm using google.com in English.
    – Wang Dingwei
    May 20, 2016 at 1:58
  • @WangDingwei Which feature did you refer to?
    – Tianren Liu
    May 21, 2016 at 14:11
  • Oops I though the text below "Moreover" is part of the screenshot...
    – Wang Dingwei
    May 23, 2016 at 1:20
  • haha, I'd really love to have that feature!
    – Betty
    May 23, 2016 at 5:28
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双刃剑 is usually used to describe something having a good side and a bad side, it may solve a problem, but it creat another problem at the same time. Just like a double-blade-sword, you can force it to your enemy to hurt him, but if your enemy push it back, it can hurt you. 双刃剑 is never used to decribe a person.

两面刀 is rarely used. I think it might be used as short of 两面三刀, which means a person pretends to be your friend for today, and turns his back on you or betray you tomorrow.

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双刃剑is more graceful.Sounds like "Washington District of Columbia".(often used)

两面刀is more plain.Sounds like "City".(rarely used)

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