To describe a huge and powerful army, so numerous and mighty that if its soldiers were to throw their whips into a river, it would be enough to block the flow and stem the current; signifying an overwhelming force.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
During the early Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Former Qin state grew increasingly powerful. After ascending the throne, Fu Jian was determined to unify the country by conquering Eastern Jin.
In a court assembly, he sought opinions on personally leading a campaign. Zhu Tong, the Secretary Overseer, strongly supported the idea, while Zuo Puye (Left Prime Minister) Quan Yi argued against it, citing the Yangtze River as a natural barrier for Jin.
Fu Jian, however, boasted, "Our million-strong army is so vast that if each soldier were to throw their whip into the Yangtze River, it would be enough to block its flow." This idiom later came to symbolize a huge and powerful army.