弹丸之地 dàn wán zhī dì small territory

Explanation

“弹丸之地”指的是像弹弓用的铁丸或泥丸那样大小的地方，形容地方非常狭小。

"A place the size of a slingshot pellet" describes a very small place.

Origin Story

战国时期，秦国攻打赵国，赵国节节败退，最终被迫向秦国求和。秦国要求赵国割让六座城池作为赔款。赵王左右为难，不知该如何是好。这时，一位名叫楼缓的谋士站了出来，他认为，为了国家的长治久安，应该答应秦国的要求，割让这六座城池。另一位谋士虞卿则持反对意见，他认为秦国此次出兵劳师动众，已经精疲力竭，如果赵国暂时忍让，秦国很快就会再次进攻，到时候损失会更大。赵王最终采纳了楼缓的建议，割让了这六座弹丸之地换取了暂时的和平。然而，正如虞卿所预料的那样，仅仅过了一年，秦国就再次发兵攻打赵国。这六座弹丸之地，并没有换来真正的和平，反而为赵国带来了更大的灾难。

zhànguó shíqī, qín guó gōng dǎ zhào guó, zhào guó jié jié bài tuì, zuìzhōng pēi pò xiàng qín guó qiú hé. qín guó yāoqiú zhào guó gè ràng liù zuò chéng chí zuòwéi péikuǎn. zhào wáng zuǒyòu wéinán, bù zhī gāi rúhé shì hǎo. zhè shí, yī wèi míng jiào lóu huǎn de móushì zhàn le chūlái, tā rènwéi, wèile guójiā de cháng zhì jiǔ'ān, yīnggāi dāyìng qín guó de yāoqiú, gè ràng zhè liù zuò chéng chí. lìng yī wèi móushì yǔ qīng zé chí fǎnduì yìjiàn, tā rènwéi qín guó cǐ cì chūbīng láoshī dòngzhòng, yǐjīng jīngpí jǐqiè, rúguǒ zhào guó zànshí rěnràng, qín guó hěn kuài jiù huì zàicì gōngjī, dào shíhòu sǔnshī huì gèng dà. zhào wáng zuìzhōng cǎinǎi le lóu huǎn de jiànyì, gè ràng le zhè liù zuò dàn wán zhī dì huànqǔ le zànshí de hépíng. rán'ér, zhēngrú yǔ qīng suǒ yùliào de nàyàng, jǐngjǐng guò le yī nián, qín guó jiù zàicì fābīng gōng dǎ zhào guó. zhè liù zuò dàn wán zhī dì, bìng méiyǒu huàn lái zhēnzhèng de hépíng, fǎn'ér wèi zhào guó dài lái le gèng dà de zāinàn.

During the Warring States period, the State of Qin attacked the State of Zhao, which suffered successive defeats and was eventually forced to sue for peace. Qin demanded that Zhao cede six cities as compensation. King Zhao was torn between two choices and didn't know what to do. At this time, a strategist named Lou Huan stepped forward and argued that for the sake of long-term peace and stability, Zhao should agree to Qin's demands and cede these six cities. Another strategist, Yu Qing, opposed this view, believing that Qin, having expended significant manpower and resources, was already exhausted. If Zhao temporarily conceded, Qin would soon attack again, resulting in even greater losses. King Zhao ultimately adopted Lou Huan's suggestion, ceding these six small territories to secure temporary peace. However, as Yu Qing predicted, Qin attacked Zhao again just one year later. These six small territories had not brought about true peace but instead led to even greater disaster for Zhao.

Usage

用于形容地方狭小，多用于军事和政治领域。

yòng yú xiáoróng dìfāng xiǎo, duō yòng yú jūnshì hé zhèngzhì lǐngyù.

Used to describe a small area, mostly in the military and political fields.

Examples

• 这不过弹丸之地，不足为虑。

  zhè bù guò dàn wán zhī dì, bù zú wéi lǜ.

  This is just a small piece of land, not worth worrying about.

• 他们占据的只是弹丸之地，不足以对我们构成威胁

  tāmen zhànjué de zhǐshì dàn wán zhī dì, bù zú yǐ duì wǒmen gòuchéng wēixié

  They occupy only a small area and pose no threat to us

Related Idioms

• 方寸之地

• 斗室

Opposite Idioms

• 地广人稀

• 幅员辽阔