諺語 · a single proverb
四面楚歌
What does 四面楚歌 (sì miàn chǔ gē) mean?
四面楚歌 (sì miàn chǔ gē) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "Chu songs on all four sides." In use it means: Being surrounded and hopeless. When even the sounds around you tell you the fight is over. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Horse.
Literally: "Chu songs on all four sides."
The reading
Xiang Yu heard Chu songs drifting from the enemy camp. His own soldiers were singing them. That meant his people had already gone over to the other side. The battle was finished before the morning. Sometimes the signal that things are over is not a defeat. It is a song that should not be playing.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Records of the Grand Historian 史記 (項羽本紀)
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 Adversity & Resilience, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 四面楚歌 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 四面楚歌 (sì miàn chǔ gē) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Records of the Grand Historian 史記 (項羽本紀). 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 四面楚歌?
In Mandarin it is sì miàn chǔ gē. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 四面楚歌 aloud in Mandarin.