寡不敌众 guǎ bù dí zhòng outnumbered

Explanation

形容一方兵力或实力比另一方少，难以抵挡。

Describes a situation where one side has fewer troops or strength, making it difficult to resist.

Origin Story

话说三国时期，蜀汉名将关羽率领大军攻打樊城，曹操派于禁率领七军前来支援。关羽以少胜多，大破曹军，于禁被俘，庞德战死。然而，在后续的战斗中，关羽寡不敌众，最终兵败身亡。这段历史充分体现了“寡不敌众”的含义，也说明了即使是名将，在兵力悬殊的情况下也难以取胜。 后来，关羽的死，成为了一个历史的悲剧，也成为了后人警示的例子。 在后来的战争中，人们常常用这个成语来形容一方兵力不足，难以抵挡强敌的局面。

huà shuō sān guó shí qī, shǔ hàn míng jiàng guān yǔ shuài lǐng dà jūn gōng dǎ fán chéng, cáo cāo pài yú jīn shuài lǐng qī jūn lái zhī yuán. guān yǔ yǐ shǎo shèng duō, dà pò cáo jūn, yú jīn bèi fú, páng dé zhàn sǐ. rán ér, zài xuè xù de zhàn dòu zhōng, guān yǔ guǎ bù dí zhòng, zuì zhōng bīng bài shēn wáng. zhè duàn lì shǐ chōng fèn tiǎn xǐ le 'guǎ bù dí zhòng' de hán yì, yě shuō míng le jí shì shì míng jiàng, zài bīng lì xuán shū de qíng kuàng xià yě nán yǐ qǔ shèng. hòu lái, guān yǔ de sǐ, chéng le yīgè lì shǐ de bēi jù, yě chéng le hòu rén jǐng shì de lì zi. zài hòu lái de zhàn zhēng zhōng, rén men cháng cháng yòng zhège chéng yǔ lái xíng róng yī fāng bīng lì bù zú, nán yǐ dǐ dǎng qiáng dí de jú miàn

During the Three Kingdoms period, Guan Yu, a famous general of Shu Han, led a large army to attack Fancheng. Cao Cao sent Yu Jin to lead seven armies to support him. Guan Yu defeated the Cao army by winning with fewer soldiers, capturing Yu Jin and killing Pang De in battle. However, in subsequent battles, Guan Yu was outnumbered and eventually lost the battle and died. This history fully reflects the meaning of "being outnumbered", and also shows that even famous generals may find it difficult to win when their forces are greatly outnumbered. Later, Guan Yu’s death became a historical tragedy, and also an example of warning to future generations. In later wars, this idiom was often used to describe a situation where one side had insufficient troops and was unable to withstand the strong enemy.

Usage

用于形容一方兵力或实力弱，难以抵挡另一方。

yòng yú xíng róng yī fāng bīng lì huò shí lì ruò, nán yǐ dǐ dǎng lìng yī fāng

Used to describe one side's weak military force or strength, making it difficult to resist the other side.

Examples

• 面对强敌，我军寡不敌众，不得不撤退。

  miàn duì qiáng dí, wǒ jūn guǎ bù dí zhòng, bù dé bù chè tuì

  Faced with a strong enemy, our army was outnumbered and had to retreat.

• 创业初期，我们资金和人力都比较匮乏，在市场竞争中寡不敌众，吃了不少亏。

  chuàng yè chū qī, wǒ men zī jīn hé rén lì dōu bǐ jiào kuī fá, zài shì chǎng jìng zhēng zhōng guǎ bù dí zhòng, chī le bù shǎo kuī

  In the early days of our business, we had limited funding and manpower, and were outnumbered in market competition, suffering many losses.

Related Idioms

• 众寡悬殊

• 势单力薄

Opposite Idioms

• 势均力敌

• 旗鼓相当