沉舟破釜 — “To burn one's boats”
沉舟破釜 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to burn one's boats”. To commit irrevocably; to show determination to fight to the finish with no retreat. Literally, “To sink the boats and smash the cauldrons”.
沉舟破釜 Pronunciation and Pinyin
沉舟破釜 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 沉舟破釜
Origin and Story of 沉舟破釜
At the end of the Qin Dynasty, King Qin dispatched General Zhang Han with 200,000 troops to attack the state of Zhao. King Zhao sent envoys to request aid from King Chu.
King Chu appointed Song Yi as the commander and Xiang Yu as his deputy to lead the relief army. Song Yi deliberately delayed the advance.
Xiang Yu, impatient with the delay, killed Song Yi and then led his army across the Zhang River to assist Zhao. They smashed their cooking pots and sank their boats in the river, demonstrating their resolve for a do-or-die battle.
Ultimately, they defeated the Qin army.
Idioms Related to 沉舟破釜
Synonyms of 沉舟破釜
More idioms starting with 沉
- chén沉bù不zhù住qì气unable to keep one's composure
- chén沉yuān冤mò莫bái白deep injustice remains unredressed
- chén沉yuān冤mò莫xuě雪grievous injustice that cannot be redressed
- chén沉jǐ几guān观biàn变Calmly observe subtle changes
- chén沉bó博jué绝lì丽profound, vast, and exquisite writing
- chén沉hòu厚guǎ寡yán言Profound and taciturn
- chén沉yín吟bù不jué决Ponder deeply, hesitate, unable to decide
- chén沉yín吟bù不yǔ语pondering in silence
- chén沉yín吟wèi未jué决Ponder and hesitate, unable to decide
- chén沉yín吟zhāng章jù句Pondering literary works
- chén沉shēng声jìng静qì气speaking in a low, calm voice
- chén沉mì密guǎ寡yán言quiet and reserved
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Open the tool →Questions about 沉舟破釜
What does 沉舟破釜 mean?
沉舟破釜 (chén zhōu pò fǔ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to burn one's boats”.
How do you pronounce 沉舟破釜?
沉舟破釜 is pronounced chén zhōu pò fǔ in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 沉舟破釜 literally mean?
Literally, 沉舟破釜 means “to sink the boats and smash the cauldrons”. It is used to mean “to burn one's boats”.
Where does 沉舟破釜 come from?
沉舟破釜 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 沉舟破釜?
釜，锅。打破饭锅，沉掉渡船。表示决一死战。