以一当十 — “One against ten”
以一当十 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be exceptionally brave and capable in battle, where one person or a small group can contend with or defeat a much larger force; to fight with the strength of ten men”. Literally, “One against ten”.
以一当十 Pronunciation and Pinyin
以一当十 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 以一当十
Origin and Story of 以一当十
During the Spring and Autumn period, Sun Wu (Sun Tzu) from the State of Qi was invited by King Helü of Wu to write books and give lectures in Wu.
After some time, King Helü wanted to see Sun Wu's true abilities. Sun Wu famously used palace maids to drill as soldiers for the king, showcasing his military discipline. Impressed, the king appointed him as the Supreme General.
In 506 BC, Sun Wu led 30,000 elite soldiers to attack the State of Chu, annihilating over 200,000 Chu troops. This decisive victory became a classic example of 'one against ten', highlighting the immense power of strategy and skilled combatants.
Idioms Related to 以一当十
Synonyms of 以一当十
Antonyms of 以一当十
More idioms starting with 以
- yǐ以yī一jǐng儆bǎi百punish one to warn many
- yǐ以yī一fèng奉bǎi百one producer supports a hundred consumers
- yǐ以yī一dāng当bǎi百one person effective as a hundred
- yǐ以yī一chí持wàn万Grasp key to control the whole
- yǐ以yī一zhī知wàn万infer many from one
- yǐ以yī一jǐng警bǎi百punish one to warn many
- yǐ以yī一yù驭wàn万Control many by grasping the fundamental
- yǐ以bù不biàn变yìng应wàn万biàn变respond to change with no change
- yǐ以fǒu不jì济kě可help succeed by negating incorrect ideas
- yǐ以fēng丰bǔ补qiàn歉save in times of plenty for scarcity
- yǐ以wéi为kǒu口shí实provide material for criticism
- yǐ以wéi为hòu后tú图plan for the future
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Open the tool →Questions about 以一当十
What does 以一当十 mean?
以一当十 (yǐ yī dāng shí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be exceptionally brave and capable in battle, where one person or a small group can contend with or defeat a much larger force; to fight with the strength of ten men”.
How do you pronounce 以一当十?
以一当十 is pronounced yǐ yī dāng shí in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 以一当十 literally mean?
Literally, 以一当十 means “one against ten”. It is used to mean “to be exceptionally brave and capable in battle, where one person or a small group can contend with or defeat a much larger force; to fight with the strength of ten men”.
Where does 以一当十 come from?
以一当十 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 以一当十?
当：相当。一个人抵挡十个人。形容军队英勇善战。