背水一战
- Literal
- to fight a battle with the river at one's back
- Figurative
- To stake everything on one decisive effort with no way back; to fight with one's back to the wall.
Where does 背水一战 come from?
During the war between Han and Zhao, the general Han Xin, serving Liu Bang, ordered his troops to form up with their backs to a river before facing Zhao's far larger army. His officers feared the move, since it left no escape route. But that was precisely Han Xin's aim: with no retreat possible, his soldiers fought with desperate fury and gave their utmost. After the victory, Han Xin explained that he had placed the army on "ground of death" so that, with no way out, every man would fight for his life.
Source (出处): 《史记·淮阴侯列传》
How is 背水一战 used? Two examples
- 公司快要倒闭了，老板决定背水一战，把所有积蓄都投了进去。
The company was about to go bankrupt, so the boss decided to risk everything in one final push and put all his savings into it.
- 这是最后一次机会，我们只能背水一战。
This is the last chance; we have no choice but to fight with our backs to the wall.
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