背水一战

Pronunciation: bèi shuǐ yī zhàn Literal meaning: Back to water one battle

Origin & Usage

For a single battle (一战) Han Xin drew his army up with the river (水) at their backs (背), which every officer present knew was the one formation the manuals forbid. They won, and afterwards they asked him why. Because these were levies, he said — throw them where they can run and they will run; put them where there is nowhere to go and each man fights for himself. The Records of the Grand Historian keeps the exchange. The phrase means removing your own retreat on purpose, and Han Xin's reasoning is about the troops he had rather than about courage in general.

Examples

English: "With bankruptcy looming, the company made a final all-or-nothing product launch"

Chinese: 在破产迫在眉睫之际，公司进行了最后的孤注一掷产品发布