折戟沉沙 Broken halberd, sunken sand
Explanation
戟：古代的一种兵器。折断了的戟沉没在泥沙里。形容失败惨重。多用于描写战争的失败。
Ji: an ancient weapon. The broken halberds sink into the mud and sand. Describes a devastating defeat. Often used to describe the defeat of a war.
Origin Story
话说三国时期，曹操率领大军南征，与孙权、刘备联军在赤壁展开激战。曹操的军队装备精良，人数众多，一度占据上风，然而，东吴的周瑜巧妙地利用火攻，大破曹军。曹操的精锐部队损失惨重，无数兵器落入江中，折戟沉沙，狼狈而逃。此战过后，曹操元气大伤，再无力争霸天下，这便是历史上著名的赤壁之战，也成为了“折戟沉沙”成语的绝佳注脚。赤壁之战后，曹操的霸业梦想彻底破灭，他只能黯然退兵，留下无数的感慨和惋惜。这场战役也成为中国历史上以少胜多的经典战例，周瑜的军事才能也因此名垂千古。
During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao led a large army south, and fought a fierce battle with the allied forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei at Chibi. Cao Cao's army was well-equipped and numerous, and initially had the upper hand. However, Zhou Yu of Eastern Wu cleverly used fire attacks and defeated Cao Cao's army. Cao Cao's elite troops suffered heavy losses, countless weapons fell into the river, broken halberds and sunken sand, and they fled in disgrace. After this battle, Cao Cao was severely weakened and could no longer fight for control of the country. This was the famous Battle of Chibi in history, and it also became a perfect footnote for the idiom "broken halberds and sunken sand". After the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao's dream of domination was completely shattered, he could only sadly withdraw his troops, leaving countless emotions of regret. This battle also became a classic example in Chinese history where the few defeated the many, and Zhou Yu's military talent was thereby immortalized in history.
Usage
主要用于形容惨重的失败，多用于战争或重大事件的失败描写。
Mainly used to describe a devastating defeat, mostly used to describe the failure of wars or major events.
Examples
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曹操的赤壁之战以失败告终，真是“折戟沉沙”啊！
zhé jǐ chén shā
Cao Cao's Battle of Red Cliffs ended in failure, it was really a "broken halberd, sunken sand"!
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这次谈判失败，真是让人感到“折戟沉沙”的痛楚。
zhé jǐ chén shā
The failure of this negotiation really makes people feel the pain of "broken halberd, sunken sand".