投鞭断流 — “Throw whips to stem the current”
投鞭断流 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “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”. Literally, “throw whips to stem the current”.
投鞭断流 Pronunciation and Pinyin
投鞭断流 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 投鞭断流
Origin and Story of 投鞭断流
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.
Idioms Related to 投鞭断流
More idioms starting with 投
- tóu投zhī之chái豺hǔ虎throw evildoers to their doom
- tóu投jǐng井xià下shí石kick someone when they are down
- tóu投zhuàn传ér而qù去abandon official post
- tóu投qí其suǒ所hào好cater to someone's preferences
- tóu投rèn刃jiē皆xū虚handle tasks with great skill
- tóu投luǎn卵jī击shí石attempt the impossible with insufficient means
- tóu投hú壶diàn电xiào笑outwardly impressive but lacking substance
- tóu投shān山cuàn窜hǎi海Banished to remote, desolate regions
- tóu投huái怀sòng送bào抱throw oneself into someone's arms
- tóu投gē戈jiǎng讲yì艺pursue learning amidst military duties
- tóu投mù木bào报qióng琼Reciprocate kindness with something precious
- tóu投jī机zhī之huì会，，jiān间bù不róng容suì穟A fleeting, rare, and critical opportunity
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Open the tool →Questions about 投鞭断流
What does 投鞭断流 mean?
投鞭断流 (tóu biān duàn liú) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “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”.
How do you pronounce 投鞭断流?
投鞭断流 is pronounced tóu biān duàn liú in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 投鞭断流 literally mean?
Literally, 投鞭断流 means “throw whips to stem the current”. It is used to mean “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”.
Where does 投鞭断流 come from?
投鞭断流 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 投鞭断流?
把所有的马鞭投到江里，就能截断水流。比喻人马众多，兵力强大。