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一夫当关，万夫莫开

一夫當關，萬夫莫開
yīfūdāngguān,wànfūmòkāi
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 one man guarding the pass can hold off ten thousand
  2. 2 an impregnable position; a strategic chokepoint

Examples

剑门关地势险要，真是一夫当关，万夫莫开。
Jiànménguān dìshì xiǎnyào, zhēn shì yīfūdāngguān, wànfūmòkāi.
Jianmen Pass has commanding terrain — truly a place where one man can hold off ten thousand.
这个数据接口是系统的咽喉，一夫当关，万夫莫开。
Zhège shùjù jiēkǒu shì xìtǒng de yānhóu, yīfūdāngguān, wànfūmòkāi.
This data interface is the system's choke point — a single guard here can stop ten thousand attackers.

Tips

history
From Li Bai's (李白) Tang-dynasty masterpiece 《蜀道难》 ('The Road to Shu Is Hard'): 剑阁峥嵘而崔嵬，一夫当关，万夫莫开 ('Jian Pavilion towers tall and steep — one man guards the pass, ten thousand cannot break through'). The line described the Sichuan road's near-impassable mountain passes.
usage
Used both literally (military terrain, fortified positions) and figuratively (any single critical point that controls a whole system — a database, a doorway, a bottleneck process). Often shortened to just the first half: 一夫当关.

Stroke Order

一 yī
夫 fū
当 dāng
关 guān
万 wàn
莫 mò
开 kāi