四面楚歌
- Literal
- on all four sides, songs of Chu
- Figurative
- To be besieged on all sides and utterly isolated; surrounded by enemies with no way out and no allies.
Where does 四面楚歌 come from?
Near the end of the Chu-Han contention, King Xiang Yu of Chu was surrounded at Gaixia by Liu Bang's Han forces. At night the Han army had songs of Chu sung from all four sides of the camp. Hearing them, Xiang Yu believed the Han had already conquered all of Chu and that even his own people had surrendered; he realized all was lost.
Source (出处): 《史记》
How is 四面楚歌 used? Two examples
- 公司决策接连失误,如今资金链断裂、客户流失,管理层已是四面楚歌。
With one bad decision after another, now that funding has dried up and clients are leaving, management is cornered on every side.
- 他在会上得罪了所有同事,提案时四面楚歌,没有一个人愿意支持。
He had offended every colleague in the meeting, so when he put forward his proposal he found himself completely isolated, with not a single person willing to back him.