背水一战 — “To fight a desperate battle with no way of retreat”
背水一战 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to fight a desperate battle with no way of retreat”. To make a last stand with one's back to the wall. Literally, “Fight with one's back to the river”.
背水一战 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 背bèi
- 水shuǐ
- 一yī
- 战zhàn
背水一战 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 背水一战
Origin and Story of 背水一战
During the Chu-Han Contention, Liu Bang ordered his general Han Xin to lead an army to attack the State of Zhao. The King of Zhao, with an army of 200,000, met them at Jingxing Pass in the Taihang Mountains. At that time, Han Xin only had 12,000 troops. To defeat the Zhao army, he positioned 10,000 men with their backs to a river, forming a 'back-to-water' formation. He also sent 2,000 light cavalry to lie in ambush around the Zhao army's camp. After the battle began, the 200,000 strong Zhao army charged towards the 10,000 Han troops by the river. The Han army, facing a formidable enemy with no retreat, fought desperately. At this moment, the 2,000 hidden soldiers seized the opportunity to attack the Zhao camp. Caught in a pincer attack, the Zhao army was quickly defeated by Han Xin. After the battle, someone asked Han Xin, 'Lining up with one's back to the water is a military taboo. Why did you knowingly disregard it?' Han Xin smiled and replied, 'Placing them in a desperate situation, and they will fight to survive \u2013 this is also recorded in military treatises.'
Idioms Related to 背水一战
Synonyms of 背水一战
Antonyms of 背水一战
More idioms starting with 背
- bèi背zhǔ主qiú求róng荣betray master for glory
- bèi背yì义wàng忘ēn恩betray righteousness and forget favor
- bèi背yì义fù负xìn信betray righteousness and break faith
- bèi背yì义fù负ēn恩betray righteousness and be ungrateful
- bèi背xiāng乡lí离jǐng井Leave one's hometown to live elsewhere
- bèi背jǐng井lí离xiāng乡leave one's hometown to live elsewhere
- bèi背xìn信qì弃yì义betray trust and abandon righteousness
- bèi背xìn信fù负yì义betray trust and abandon righteousness
- bèi背gōng公xiàng向sī私put private interests above public duty
- bèi背gōng公yíng营sī私harm public for private gain
- bèi背qián前miàn面hòu后openly or behind one's back
- bèi背chéng城yī一zhàn战fight a decisive battle with no retreat
Questions about 背水一战
- What does 背水一战 mean?
- 背水一战 (bèi shuǐ yī zhàn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to fight a desperate battle with no way of retreat”.
- How do you pronounce 背水一战?
- 背水一战 is pronounced bèi shuǐ yī zhàn in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 背水一战 literally mean?
- Literally, 背水一战 means “Fight with one's back to the river”. It is used to mean “to fight a desperate battle with no way of retreat”.
- Where does 背水一战 come from?
- 背水一战 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 背水一战?
- 背水：背向水，表示没有退路。比喻与敌人决一死战。