A place barely large enough for an awl to stand; an extremely tiny bit of land; a very limited space for settlement or survival.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Synonym:
Story:
During the contention between the Chu and Han states, Liu Bang was defeated by Xiang Yu and sought advice from his strategist, Li Shiqi. Li Shiqi suggested that Liu Bang should grant fiefdoms to the descendants of the six former states who had no place to settle (meaning, literally, 'no land for an awl to stand on'), believing that winning the people's hearts through this act would enable him to defeat Xiang Yu.
However, Zhang Liang strongly opposed this idea. He argued that Liu Bang had not yet secured the entire realm, and if he were to enfeoff them, these descendants would each establish their own independent rule, and no one would then help Liu Bang fight for control of the land.