匹夫之勇 — “Reckless courage”

This idiom originates from *Guoyu: Yueyu Shang*. During the Spring and Autumn period, King Goujian of Yue was defeated by King Fuchai of Wu and endured three years of humiliation as a prisoner.

Upon returning to his kingdom, he was determined to rebuild his strength and seek revenge.

Ten years later, Yue flourished, its people were prosperous, and its army strong. The soldiers eagerly requested to go to war again, saying, “Our king, the people of Yue love you as they love their parents. Now, sons wish to avenge their parents, and subjects wish to avenge their monarch. Please command us to fight Wu to the death.”

Goujian agreed to their plea and gathered his troops, declaring, “I have heard that ancient virtuous rulers do not worry about having too few soldiers, but rather about their soldiers lacking self-strengthening spirit. I do not desire the reckless courage of a common man, which relies solely on individual bravery without strategy. Instead, I wish for you to advance and retreat in unison. When you advance, think of the rewards; when you retreat, think of the punishments. Those who follow orders will receive due rewards. Those who advance without heeding commands or retreat without shame will face deserved penalties.”

As they departed for war, the people of Yue encouraged each other, saying, “Who would not fight to the death for such a king?” Due to the high morale of the entire army, they ultimately defeated King Fuchai and conquered the State of Wu.