overwhelming military force; massive army
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
(lit.) to cut off the flow of a river by throwing in whips; (fig.) to possess overwhelming military strength; to have a massive army
literaryOriginated from the boast of Fu Jian of Former Qin before the Battle of Feishui (383 CE). Often used in formal or literary contexts to describe formidable military might.
Tā他
men们
gōng公
sī司
zī资
jīn金
xióng雄
hòu厚
，
rén人
cái才
jǐ济
jǐ济
，
jiǎn简
zhí直
shì是
tóu投
biān鞭
duàn断
liú流
zhī之
shì势
。
Their company has abundant capital and a wealth of talent, virtually possessing overwhelming momentum.
Dí敌
jūn军
tóu投
biān鞭
duàn断
liú流
，
wǒ我
jūn军
nán难
yǐ以
dǐ抵
dǎng挡
。
The enemy forces were overwhelming; our army could hardly resist.
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Dāng当
nián年
Fú苻
Jiān坚
shēng声
chēng称
tóu投
biān鞭
duàn断
liú流
，
jié结
guǒ果
Féi淝
shuǐ水
zhī之
zhàn战
yī一
bài败
tú涂
dì地
。
Back then, Fu Jian claimed he could cut off the river with his whips, but ended up suffering a crushing defeat at the Battle of Feishui.