How do you use "Take the bull by the horns" in a sentence?

It's time to take the bull by the horns. She took the bull by the horns and addressed the issue. Stop avoiding it—take the bull by the horns.

Take the bull by the horns

Slang Term BritishAmericanAustralian ★★★★☆ Common Neutral

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Meaning: To confront a problem directly; to face a challenge head-on.

直面问题；正面迎接挑战。

Enfrentarse a un problema directamente; afrontar un reto de frente.

問題に正面から立ち向かうこと。困難に真正面からぶつかること。

문제에 정면으로 맞서다. 어려움에 정면으로 부딪히다.

'Taking the bull by the horns' means confronting a difficult situation directly and courageously—grabbing the danger point to control it rather than avoiding it.

'taking the bull by the horns（抓住牛角）'意味着直接而勇敢地面对困难局面——抓住危险的部分来控制它，而不是逃避。

'Taking the bull by the horns' (coger al toro por los cuernos) significa enfrentarse a una situación difícil directa y valientemente: agarrar el punto de peligro para controlarlo en vez de evitarlo.

「taking the bull by the horns（牛の角をつかむ）」は困難な状況に直接かつ勇敢に立ち向かうこと——危険な部分をつかんで逃げずにコントロールすることです。

'Taking the bull by the horns'는 어려운 상황에 직접적이고 용감하게 맞서는 것을 의미합니다. 위험한 부분을 붙잡아 통제하는 것이지, 피하는 것이 아닙니다.

Examples

It's time to take the bull by the horns.
是时候迎难而上了。
Es hora de coger al toro por los cuernos.
正面から立ち向かう時だ。
정면으로 맞설 때다.
She took the bull by the horns and addressed the issue.
她迎难而上，解决了问题。
Cogió al toro por los cuernos y abordó el problema.
彼女は問題に正面から取り組んだ。
그녀는 문제에 정면으로 맞섰다.
Stop avoiding it—take the bull by the horns.
别再逃避了——迎难而上吧。
Deja de evitarlo: coge al toro por los cuernos.
逃げるのをやめて——正面から立ち向かえ。
피하지 말고——정면으로 부딪혀라.

Pronunciation

/teɪk ðə bʊl baɪ ðə hɔːnz/

Usage Guide

Context: courage, problems, confrontation

Tone: encouraging, decisive

✓ Do Say

Take the bull by the horns
迎难而上
coger al toro por los cuernos
正面から立ち向かう
정면으로 맞서다
Took the bull by the horns
迎难而上了
cogió al toro por los cuernos
正面から立ち向かった
정면으로 맞섰다

Common Mistakes

About direct confrontation, not aggression

Origin & History

From bullfighting or cattle handling, where grabbing the horns gives control. The phrase encourages direct confrontation of problems rather than avoidance.

Etymology: Bullfighting/cattle: grabbing horns to control

First recorded: 19th century

Cultural Context

Era: 19th century onwards

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: Universal expression

Regional notes: English-language universal.

Variations

Take the bull by the hornsGrab the bull by the horns