







势不两立 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be absolutely incompatible or irreconcilable”. Of two opposing forces or entities that cannot coexist. Literally, “cannot stand as two”.
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao led an army of hundreds of thousands to attack Sun Quan and Liu Bei.
Sun Quan convened his ministers to discuss countermeasures. Zhang Zhao and others advocated surrender, while Zhou Yu argued that they should unite with Liu Bei and resist Cao Cao's army by exploiting its inability to fight a protracted war.
Sun Quan adopted Zhou Yu's suggestion, drew his sword, chopped the corner of the table, and swore that he would be irreconcilable with Cao Cao.