Dictionary › 尚方宝剑

尚方宝剑

shàng fāng bǎo jiàn

4-character word Traditional 尚方寶劍

What 尚方宝剑 means

1. variant of {尚方剑|shàng fāng jiàn}
2. imperial sword (giving bearer arbitrary powers)
3. in fiction, Chinese version of 007's license to kill

The characters in 尚方宝剑

• 尚shàngstill; yet; to value
• 方fāngsquare; power or involution (math.); upright
• 宝bǎojewel; gem; treasure
• 剑jiàndouble-edged sword; classifier for blows of a sword

Sounds the same

Read shàng fāng bǎo jiàn, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 上方宝剑imperial sword (giving bearer plenipotentiary powers)…