背水一战

背水一戰
bèishuǐyīzhàn
idiom #35,223

Meanings

  1. 1 to fight with one's back to the river
  2. 2 to fight a last-ditch battle where retreat is impossible
  3. 3 to go all-in; do or die

Examples

Gōngsī yǐ dào shēngsǐ guāntóu, zhǐ néng bèishuǐyīzhàn.
The company has reached a life-or-death moment; the only option is to fight all-out.
Zhè shì juésài, wǒmen yào bèishuǐyīzhàn.
This is the final — we have to fight with everything we've got.

Tips

history
From 《·淮阴》 (Han dynasty): General Han Xin deliberately drew up his troops with a river at their backs, cutting off retreat, so soldiers had to fight to the death. They won against a Zhao force ten times their size.
usage
Implies stakes so high that failure means ruin. Fits final games, critical negotiations, startup pivots. The tone is determined, not reckless.

Stroke Order

bēi
shuǐ
zhàn