三足鼎立 — “Three-legged cauldron standing; to stand like a three-legged cauldron”
三足鼎立 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a situation where three parties or forces are in a balanced confrontation or competition, each holding its own ground and preventing any one from dominating”. Literally, “Three-legged cauldron standing; to stand like a three-legged cauldron”.
三足鼎立 Pronunciation and Pinyin
三足鼎立 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 三足鼎立
Origin and Story of 三足鼎立
Towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Biao, the governor of Jing Province, died of illness, and his son surrendered to Cao Cao. Liu Bei was forced to retreat south.
Sun Quan sent Lu Su to establish contact with Liu Bei, and Zhuge Liang believed that an alliance with Sun Quan against Cao Cao was feasible.
Sun Quan, being resourceful and decisive, analyzed that Cao Cao had violated military taboos. Consequently, he and the Shu forces decisively defeated Cao Cao's reportedly 800,000-strong army at the Battle of Red Cliffs, thereby establishing the situation of a 'three-legged cauldron standing' (tripartite confrontation).
Idioms Related to 三足鼎立
Synonyms of 三足鼎立
More idioms starting with 三
- sān三sān三liǎng两liǎng两in small groups
- sān三sān三wǔ五wǔ五in small scattered groups
- sān三sān三sì四sì四in small groups
- sān三xià下wǔ五chú除èr二do something quickly and efficiently
- sān三bù不niù拗liù六the minority cannot overrule the majority
- sān三bù不zhī知utterly ignorant of something
- sān三gè个chòu臭pí皮jiang匠，，hé合chéng成yí一gè个zhū诸gě葛liàng亮Collective wisdom is powerful
- sān三gè个chòu臭pí皮jiang匠，，sài赛guò过zhū诸gě葛liàng亮Collective wisdom surpasses individual genius
- sān三wǔ五chéng成qún群in small groups
- sān三qīn亲liù六gù故relatives and old friends
- sān三qīn亲liù六juàn眷all one's relatives
- sān三qīn亲sì四juàn眷all one's relatives and kinsfolk
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Open the tool →Questions about 三足鼎立
What does 三足鼎立 mean?
三足鼎立 (sān zú dǐng lì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a situation where three parties or forces are in a balanced confrontation or competition, each holding its own ground and preventing any one from dominating”.
How do you pronounce 三足鼎立?
三足鼎立 is pronounced sān zú dǐng lì in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 三足鼎立 literally mean?
Literally, 三足鼎立 means “Three-legged cauldron standing; to stand like a three-legged cauldron”. It is used to mean “a situation where three parties or forces are in a balanced confrontation or competition, each holding its own ground and preventing any one from dominating”.
Where does 三足鼎立 come from?
三足鼎立 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 三足鼎立?
比喻三方面对立的局势。