鼎足而居 — “To form a tripartite confrontation”
鼎足而居 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to form a tripartite confrontation”. To stand in a three-way standoff; to divide into three equal powers. Literally, “To stand like the three legs of a tripod”.
鼎足而居 Pronunciation and Pinyin
鼎足而居 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 鼎足而居
Origin and Story of 鼎足而居
In 203 BC, Han Xin, a general of the Han dynasty, conquered the Qi state and was appointed King of Qi by Liu Bang.
Han Xin's strategist, Kuai Tong, analyzed the world situation and believed Han Xin was a pivotal figure. He advised Han Xin not to follow Liu Bang but to establish himself as an independent king, thus forming a tripartite division of the empire with Chu and Han. He argued that following Liu Bang would at most make him a mere marquis.
Han Xin did not heed Kuai Tong's advice and was eventually lured and killed by Empress Lü.
Idioms Related to 鼎足而居
Synonyms of 鼎足而居
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zhī之shì势tripartite standoff or balance of power
- dǐng鼎zú足ér而sān三three-way rivalry or balance
Recommended tools
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →Questions about 鼎足而居
What does 鼎足而居 mean?
鼎足而居 (dǐng zú ér jū) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to form a tripartite confrontation”.
How do you pronounce 鼎足而居?
鼎足而居 is pronounced dǐng zú ér jū in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 鼎足而居 literally mean?
Literally, 鼎足而居 means “to stand like the three legs of a tripod”. It is used to mean “to form a tripartite confrontation”.
Where does 鼎足而居 come from?
鼎足而居 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 鼎足而居?
像鼎的三足分立那样。比喻三方面对立的局势。