It is uncertain who will emerge victorious in a competition; who will win the ultimate prize or achieve final success.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, among the Sixteen Kingdoms, the founding emperor of Later Zhao was named Shi Le. One day, he hosted a banquet for envoys from Goryeo.
When he was almost drunk, he loudly asked his minister, Xu Guang, "Which ancient monarch do I compare to?"
Xu Guang thought for a moment and replied, "Your extraordinary talent surpasses Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, and your exceptional abilities rival the founder of the Wei Dynasty. Since the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, no one can compare to you. You are probably the second Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan!"
Shi Le laughed after hearing this and said, "How can a person not understand himself? What you said is too exaggerated. If I were to meet Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang of Han, I would certainly become his subordinate and obey his commands, only competing with Han Xin and Peng Yue for superiority. However, if I were to encounter Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu, I would hunt with him in the Central Plains and have a competition, 'who knows into whose hands the deer will fall?'"
Later, people used "鹿死谁手" (lù sǐ shéi shǒu) to metaphorically describe a situation where it is unknown into whose hands a contested object will fall, further extending to mean that in a competition, it is uncertain who will win or lose.