拔山举鼎 — “Possessing extraordinary strength”

Xiang Yu, whose given name was Ji, was from Xiuxiang at the end of the Qin Dynasty. As a young man, Xiang Yu disliked reading and writing, later switching to learn swordsmanship, but he wasn't diligent at that either. His uncle, Xiang Liang, was quite displeased.

Xiang Yu said, "Learning to write is only enough to remember names. Swordsmanship is for dealing with one or two people, not worth learning. I want to learn skills to contend with ten thousand men." So Xiang Liang taught him military strategy. Xiang Yu was delighted but only sought a general understanding and was unwilling to delve deeply.

It is said that when Xiang Yu was twenty-two or twenty-three years old, he was stout and robust, capable of lifting tripods weighing several hundred jin. Later, Xiang Yu raised an army to revolt against the Qin Dynasty, then contended with Liu Bang for control of the empire. From the age of 24, he fought for eight years, finally being surrounded by Liu Bang's forces at Gaixia, eventually committing suicide by cutting his throat at Wujiang.

On the night of 'Farewell My Concubine,' before his suicide, in his military tent, Xiang Yu sang heroically to his beloved concubine Yu Ji and his horse Zhui: 'My strength plucked up mountains, my spirit overshadowed the world; But the times are against me, and Zhui will not go! What can I do when Zhui will not go? Ah, Yu, my Yu, what will become of you!'