势如破竹

Pronunciation: shì rú pò zhú Literal meaning: Momentum like splitting bamboo

Origin & Usage

At a council of his commanders in 280, with some arguing that the campaign against Wu should pause until winter, Du Yu said the army's might was already roused and the thing was by now like (如) splitting bamboo (破竹): the first joints resist, and after that the whole length comes apart of its own accord. 势 is the idiom's word rather than his — he says 兵威已振 — but it names what he meant, the force a situation has accumulated. He was arguing against a pause, which is the part usually forgotten: momentum of this kind is perishable and cannot be picked up again later. Winning streaks, campaigns and businesses in rapid expansion, with that warning about stopping carried inside it.

Examples

English: "The army advanced rapidly, meeting little resistance."

Chinese: 军队势如破竹，几乎没有遇到抵抗。