背水一战
背水一战 (bèi shuǐ yī zhàn) literally means “back to water one battle” and expresses “fight with total commitment having no retreat”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving strategy and action. It originates from ancient Chinese literature and remains commonly used in modern Mandarin.
Also searched as: bei shui yi zhan, bei shui yi zhan,背水一战 meaning, 背水一战 in english
Fight with total commitment having no retreat
Pronunciation: bèi shuǐ yī zhàn Literal meaning: Back to water one battle
Origin & Usage
This idiom originated from the 'Records of the Grand Historian' account of Han Xin's 204 BCE victory. This brilliant general deliberately trapped his outnumbered forces against a river, eliminating retreat possibilities to ensure total commitment. During the Han Dynasty, it entered strategic lexicon as both military tactic and psychological principle. Positioning troops with backs to water (背水) for a single decisive battle (一战) created unmistakable stakes—victory or annihilation with no middle ground. Unlike terms simply meaning 'desperate,' it specifically describes deliberately eliminating retreat options to ensure maximum commitment. Modern usage spans business strategy to personal challenges, describing situations where deliberately eliminating fallback options increases performance by focusing complete resources on the essential objective, particularly when retreat temptation would otherwise undermine necessary commitment to difficult but achievable goals.
When to Use
Situation: With bankruptcy looming, the company made a final all-or-nothing product launch
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Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about strategy & action
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 背水一战 mean in English?
背水一战 (bèi shuǐ yī zhàn) literally translates to “Back to water one battle” and is used to express “Fight with total commitment having no retreat”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Strategy & Action category.
When is 背水一战 used?
Situation: This idiom applies when describing situations involving fight with total commitment having no retreat.
What is the pinyin for 背水一战?
The pinyin pronunciation for 背水一战 is “bèi shuǐ yī zhàn”.