困兽犹斗 Kùn shòu yóu dòu A trapped beast still fights

Explanation

比喻困于绝境而作最后挣扎。

A metaphor for the last desperate struggle in a hopeless situation.

Origin Story

春秋时期，晋国和楚国为了争夺霸权，经常发生战争。一次，晋军大败，大将荀林父回国请罪。晋景公想杀了他，但大夫士会阻止说："楚国令尹子重战败后，依然困兽犹斗，晋国并没有因此获得多少好处。现在杀掉荀林父，只会增加楚国的士气。"

chūnqiū shíqī, jìn guó hé chǔ guó wèile zhēngduó bàquán, jīngcháng fāshēng zhànzhēng. yīcì, jìn jūn dàbài, dàjiàng xún lín fù huí guó qǐng zuì. jìn jǐng gōng xiǎng shā le tā, dàn dàfū shì huì zǔzhǐ shuō: "chǔ guó lìngyǐn zǐ zhòng zhàn bài hòu, yīrán kùnshòu yóudòu, jìn guó bìng méiyǒu yīncǐ huòdé duōshao hǎochù. xiànzài shā diào xún lín fù, zhǐ huì zēngjiā chǔ guó de shìqì."

During the Spring and Autumn period, the states of Jin and Chu frequently waged war to compete for hegemony. Once, the Jin army suffered a crushing defeat, and General Xun Linfu returned home to plead guilty. Jing Gong of Jin wanted to kill him, but the minister Shihui stopped him, saying: "After the defeat of the Chu premier Zi Zhong, he still fought desperately, and Jin did not gain much from it. Now, killing Xun Linfu will only boost Chu's morale."

Usage

常用来比喻在绝境中顽强抵抗。

cháng yòng lái bǐyù zài juéjìng zhōng wánqiáng dǐkàng

Often used to describe the stubborn resistance in a hopeless situation.

Examples

• 尽管形势危急，但他仍然困兽犹斗，顽强抵抗。

  jǐnguǎn xíngshì wēijí, dàn tā réngrán kùnshòu yóudòu, wánqiáng dǐkàng

  Despite the critical situation, he still fought desperately.

• 面对强大的敌人，他们困兽犹斗，最终还是失败了。

  miàn duì qiángdà de dírén, tāmen kùnshòu yóudòu, zuìzhōng háishì shībài le

  Facing a powerful enemy, they fought to the end, but ultimately failed.

• 公司虽然面临破产危机，但领导者们依然困兽犹斗，试图挽回局面。

  gōngsī suīrán miànlín pòchǎn wēijī, dàn lǐngdǎozhěmen yīrán kùnshòu yóudòu, shìtú wǎnhuí júmiàn

  Although the company faced bankruptcy, the leaders continued to fight desperately to save the situation.

Related Idioms

• 穷途末路

• 走投无路

Opposite Idioms

• 束手就擒

• 放弃抵抗