四分五裂 — “To be disunited, fragmented, or in disarray”
四分五裂 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be disunited, fragmented, or in disarray”. To fall apart; to disintegrate. Literally, “four parts, five splits”.
Frequency
四分五裂 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 四sì
- 分fēn
- 五wǔ
- 裂liè
四分五裂 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 四分五裂
这个老旧的组织因为内部矛盾太多，最终变得四分五裂。
The old organization eventually became fragmented and disunited due to too many internal conflicts.
Origin and Story of 四分五裂
During the late Warring States period, the State of Qin grew increasingly powerful after Shang Yang's reforms. Fearing Qin's strength, the other vassal states adopted the 'vertical alliance' (Hezong) strategy to jointly resist Qin.
King Hui of Qin appointed Zhang Yi, a native of Wei, as his prime minister. Zhang Yi traveled to various states, advocating the 'horizontal alliance' (Lianheng) strategy. He sowed discord among the six states, threatening and enticing them to align with Qin.
Under Zhang Yi's influence, the alliance of the six states quickly fell apart and became disunited.
Idioms Related to 四分五裂
Synonyms of 四分五裂
Antonyms of 四分五裂
More idioms starting with 四
- sì四bù不xiàng像neither fish nor fowl
- sì四bù不niù拗liù六The minority cannot prevail against the majority
- sì四xiāng乡bā八zhèn镇surrounding villages and towns
- sì四shū书wǔ五jīng经Confucian classics
- sì四tíng亭bā八dàng当everything arranged meticulously and appropriately
- sì四tǐ体bù不qín勤unaccustomed to physical labor
- sì四tǐ体bù不qín勤，，wǔ五gǔ谷bù不fēn分Out of touch with practical work
- sì四tǐ体bǎi百hái骸all parts of the body
- sì四tíng停bā八dāng当everything meticulously arranged and perfectly in order
- sì四chōng冲bā八dá达highly accessible and well-connected
- sì四chōng冲liù六dá达accessible from all directions
- sì四fēn分wǔ五pōu剖fragmented and disunited
Questions about 四分五裂
- What does 四分五裂 mean?
- 四分五裂 (sì fēn wǔ liè) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be disunited, fragmented, or in disarray”.
- How do you pronounce 四分五裂?
- 四分五裂 is pronounced sì fēn wǔ liè in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 四分五裂 literally mean?
- Literally, 四分五裂 means “four parts, five splits”. It is used to mean “to be disunited, fragmented, or in disarray”.
- Where does 四分五裂 come from?
- 四分五裂 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 四分五裂?
- 形容不完整，不集中，不团结，不统一。