可是连杀手的衣角也没摸着
“and couldn't even find a trace of the killer.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
京畿十三营 在城外连续搜捕了半个月
“The 13 capital garrisons searched the outskirts for half a month”
可是 连杀手的衣角也 没摸着
“and couldn't even find a trace of the killer.”
所以
“So, I boldly speculate”
“Despite all that manpower and time, they failed completely and were outclassed.”
In Chinese wuxia and historical narratives, failing to touch an opponent's hem is a classic trope signifying an overwhelming difference in prowess.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
not even touch the corner of one's clothes; fail to get anywhere near someone
A vivid idiomatic expression used to emphasize complete incompetence or an insurmountable gap in ability against an opponent.
Acts as a resultative complement particle indicating failure to make contact or achieve the intended result.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“I was going to finish off two killers and bring back their bodies,”
“So you wanted those assassins to mistake me for you”
“you raised yourself?”
“Do you think only you have killers in Hong Kong”
“Assassins! Protect the boss!”
“and the killer slit his throat from behind.”