快刀斬亂麻

lit. quick sword cuts through tangled hemp (idiom); decisive action in a complex situation / cutting the Gordian knot

rapid / quick / speed / rate / soon / almost / to make haste / clever / sharp (of knives or wits) / forthright / plainspoken / gratified / pleased / pleasant

knife / blade / single-edged sword / cutlass / CL:把[ba3] / (slang) dollar (loanword) / classifier for sets of one hundred sheets (of paper) / classifier for knife cuts or stabs

to behead (as form of capital punishment) / to chop

in confusion or disorder / in a confused state of mind / disorder / upheaval / riot / illicit sexual relations / to throw into disorder / to mix up / indiscriminate / random / arbitrary

lit. tangled skein / in a tremendous muddle / confused

variant of 麻[ma2] / hemp

surname Ma

generic name for hemp, flax etc / hemp or flax fiber for textile materials / sesame / CL:縷|缕[lü3] / (of materials) rough or coarse / pocked / pitted / to have pins and needles or tingling / to feel numb