Recorded in Song-dynasty writer Yang Wanli's 《
钤辖赵公墓志铭》 (Qiánxiá Zhào Gōng Mùzhìmíng, 'Tomb Inscription for Commander Zhao'), describing a Southern Song general who held out for years against the Jin invaders until '
粮尽援绝' ('grain exhausted, reinforcements cut off') and led several thousand men southward. The modern fixed form
弹尽粮绝 swaps
援 (yuán, 'reinforcements') for
弹 (dàn, 'ammunition') — a 20th-century update for firearm warfare.
