各自为战

各自為戰

gèzìwéizhàn

idiom #35,831

Meanings

1 each fights on their own (idiom)
2 to act independently without coordination

Characters

to act as; engage in

to fight; battle

Examples

几个部门各自为战，效率自然低下。

Jǐ gè bùmén gèzìwéizhàn, xiàolǜ zìrán dīxià.

When departments each fight their own battle, efficiency naturally suffers.

不能各自为战，我们需要协作。

Bùnéng gèzìwéizhàn, wǒmen xūyào xiézuò.

We can't each fight alone — we need to collaborate.

Tips

history

From 《史记·项羽本纪》: Zhang Liang advises Liu Bang to grant territory to Han Xin and Peng Yue '使各自为战' — 'let each fight his own war' — so they'd commit fully against Xiang Yu. Military origin, now usually negative (uncoordinated action).

Stroke Order

各 gè

自 zì

为 wèi

战 zhàn