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不破楼兰终不还

不破樓蘭終不還
bù pò Lóulán zhōng bù huán
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 until Loulan is crushed, I shall not return home
  2. 2 vow of no retreat until the mission is accomplished
  3. 3 classic frontier oath

Examples

HSK 5
队员们誓言不破楼兰终不还，一定要完成任务。
Duìyuán men shìyán bù pò Lóulán zhōng bù huán, yídìng yào wánchéng rènwu.
The team swore that until Loulan was broken they would not return - they were determined to finish the mission.
HSK 6
他带着不破楼兰终不还的决心投入研发。
Tā dài zhe bù pò Lóulán zhōng bù huán de juéxīn tóurù yánfā.
He threw himself into R&D with the resolve that he would not come back until the job was done.

Tips

history
Closing line of Wang Changling's (王昌龄, Tang dynasty) 《从军行·其四》: 青海长云暗雪山，孤城遥望玉门关。黄沙百战穿金甲，不破楼兰终不还 - 'Dark clouds over Qinghai darken the snowy peaks; from the lone frontier city one gazes at Yumen Pass. A hundred battles in yellow sand pierce our golden armor - we will not return until Loulan is broken.' Loulan was an oasis kingdom along the Silk Road, shorthand here for any western enemy.
usage
楼兰 (Lóulán) is read with an initial L, not Ló-lán - one word. Used widely in modern Chinese as a no-retreat oath, from sports slogans to corporate keynotes.

Stroke Order

不 bù
破 pò
楼 lóu
兰 lán
终 zhōng
还 hái