引无数英雄竞折腰

引無數英雄競折腰
yǐn wúshù yīngxióng jìng zhé yāo
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 (so beautiful/great that) it has drawn countless heroes to bow in homage
  2. 2 something magnificent enough to make the greatest figures pay tribute
  3. 3 (lit.) drawing countless heroes to compete in bending the waist

Examples

Zhè piàn jiāngshān zhēnshì yǐnwúshùyīngxióngjìngzhéyāo.
This land truly 'draws countless heroes to bow in homage.'
Gùgōng de zhuànglì, yǐnwúshùyīngxióngjìngzhéyāo.
The grandeur of the Forbidden City has drawn countless heroes to pay tribute.

Tips

history
From 毛泽东·》(1936): 江山如此无数英雄 (Such is the beauty of these rivers and mountains, drawing countless heroes to bow in homage). The poem goes on to name Qin Shi Huang, Han Wudi, Tang Taizong, Song Taizu and Genghis Khan — all 'heroes' who paled before the true protagonist, revealed in the final line as 今朝 (the present age).
usage
here means 'to bow in admiration/submission,' echoing Li Bai's 权贵. The phrase is now widely quoted to praise anything awe-inspiring — a landscape, a beauty, a cause.

Stroke Order

yǐn
shù
yīng
xióng
jìng
zhé
yāo