諺語 · a single proverb
背水一戰
Simplified: 背水一战
What does 背水一戰 (bèi shuǐ yī zhàn) mean?
背水一戰 (bèi shuǐ yī zhàn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "back to water, one battle." In use it means: Fight with one's back to the river; make a last stand with no possibility of retreat. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Tiger.
Literally: "back to water, one battle."
The reading
General Han Xin placed his army at the river's edge with the enemy in front and the current behind, and the men discovered that they had only one direction available to them: forward. The removal of the option of flight is also the removal of the anxiety that flight creates. Sometimes constraint is the most motivating arrangement possible.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Shi Ji 史記·淮陰侯列傳 (Huáiyīn Hóu biography)
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Courage & Decisive Action, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Tiger, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Rat.
Questions
Is 背水一戰 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 背水一戰 (bèi shuǐ yī zhàn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Shi Ji 史記·淮陰侯列傳 (Huáiyīn Hóu biography). It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 背水一戰?
In Mandarin it is bèi shuǐ yī zhàn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 背水一戰 aloud in Mandarin.