鼎足之势 — “The posture of a tripod's three legs; a three-legged stance”
鼎足之势 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a situation where three parties or forces stand in a balanced, often competitive, triangular confrontation; a tripartite standoff or balance of power”. Literally, “The posture of a tripod's three legs; a three-legged stance”.
鼎足之势 Pronunciation and Pinyin
鼎足之势 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 鼎足之势
Origin and Story of 鼎足之势
The idiom '鼎足之势' (dǐng zú zhī shì) originates from a historical event during the Chu-Han Contention. In 203 BC, Han Xin, a brilliant general, conquered the State of Qi and was appointed King of Qi by Liu Bang.
Han Xin's strategist, Kuai Tong, observed the volatile situation and recognized Han Xin's pivotal influence. He advised Han Xin not to remain subservient to Liu Bang, but to declare independence and establish his own kingdom, thus creating a tripartite division of power (鼎足之势) with Liu Bang's Han and Xiang Yu's Chu. Kuai Tong argued that aligning with Liu Bang would, at best, only secure a marquisate.
However, Han Xin, valuing his loyalty to Liu Bang, disregarded Kuai Tong's insightful counsel. Later, after Liu Bang unified the empire, Han Xin's immense military prestige made Liu Bang wary. He was eventually lured into a trap and executed by Empress Lü, Liu Bang's wife.
This story highlights the crucial opportunity Han Xin missed to establish a balanced, three-way power structure.
Idioms Related to 鼎足之势
Synonyms of 鼎足之势
More idioms starting with 鼎
- dǐng鼎fēn分sān三zú足form a tripartite balance
- dǐng鼎chéng成lóng龙shēng升Emperor's death and ascension to heaven
- dǐng鼎chéng成lóng龙qù去an emperor's death
- dǐng鼎shé折fù覆sù餗weak but taking on heavy responsibilities
- dǐng鼎shé折sù餗fù覆undertake a task beyond one's capability
- dǐng鼎xīn新gé革gù故discard the old and establish the new
- dǐng鼎hú湖lóng龙qù去the passing of an emperor
- dǐng鼎yù玉guī龟fú符imperial treasures and symbols of divine mandate
- dǐng鼎zú足sān三fēn分three equally strong parties in confrontation
- dǐng鼎zú足ér而sān三three-way rivalry or balance
- dǐng鼎zú足ér而jū居form a three-way standoff
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Open the tool →Questions about 鼎足之势
What does 鼎足之势 mean?
鼎足之势 (dǐng zú zhī shì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a situation where three parties or forces stand in a balanced, often competitive, triangular confrontation; a tripartite standoff or balance of power”.
How do you pronounce 鼎足之势?
鼎足之势 is pronounced dǐng zú zhī shì in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 鼎足之势 literally mean?
Literally, 鼎足之势 means “the posture of a tripod's three legs; a three-legged stance”. It is used to mean “a situation where three parties or forces stand in a balanced, often competitive, triangular confrontation; a tripartite standoff or balance of power”.
Where does 鼎足之势 come from?
鼎足之势 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 鼎足之势?
比喻三方面并立的局面。