彘肩斗酒 — “To describe a person's heroic and imposing demeanor”

彘肩斗酒 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to describe a person's heroic and imposing demeanor”. Often implying boldness, strength, and a lack of restraint, especially when eating or drinking. Literally, “Pig shoulder and a measure of wine”.

Frequency

彘肩斗酒 Pronunciation and Pinyin

彘肩斗酒 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
彘	zhì	12	vile contemptible despicable pig
肩	jiān	8	shoulder
斗	dòu	4	fight, struggle, contend
酒	jiǔ	10	alcoholic beverage

Example Sentence with 彘肩斗酒

那位侠客大口吃肉、大碗喝酒，尽显彘肩斗酒的豪迈气概。

The knight-errant ate meat heartily and drank wine by the bowlful, fully displaying the heroic and imposing demeanor implied by 'pig shoulder and a measure of wine'.

Origin and Story of 彘肩斗酒

In 208 BC, Xiang Yu led a vast army of 400,000 towards Xianyang. Xiang Bo, a relative of Xiang Yu, invited Liu Bang to a banquet at Hongmen. During the feast, Xiang Yu plotted to assassinate Liu Bang, instructing Xiang Zhuang to perform a sword dance as a pretext.

Alert to the danger, Fan Kuai, one of Liu Bang's loyal commanders, stormed into the tent to protect his master. Impressed by Fan Kuai's audacity and bravery, Xiang Yu offered him a raw pig's shoulder and a large measure of wine. Without hesitation, Fan Kuai drew his sword, cut pieces from the pig's shoulder, and devoured them while drinking the wine, showcasing a heroic and defiant spirit.

Amidst this dramatic scene, Liu Bang managed to slip away from the Hongmen banquet, thanks to the diversion created by Fan Kuai.