长江天堑 Cháng Jiāng tiān qiàn Yangtze River natural barrier

Explanation

长江作为天然的险要，难以逾越。比喻极其险要的地势或巨大的障碍。

The Yangtze River, as a natural barrier, is difficult to overcome. A metaphor for an extremely dangerous location or a huge obstacle.

Origin Story

孙权在赤壁之战中大败曹操之后，长江便成了吴蜀两国天然的国界线。数百年来，长江一直都是阻挡北方军队南下的一道天然屏障。滔滔江水，奔流不息，气势磅礴，水流湍急，江面宽阔，更有无数的险滩和暗礁，使得南来北往的船只经常遭遇危险，甚至沉没。历史上许多试图渡江的军队，都因为长江天堑而失败。即使是拥有强大兵力的北方军队，也常常望江兴叹，不敢轻易渡江。长江天堑不仅仅是地理上的险要，更是心理上的巨大障碍。它象征着难以逾越的困难和挑战，也见证了无数英雄的失败与辉煌。

Sūn Quán zài Chì Bì zhī zhàn zhōng dà bài Cáo Cāo zhī hòu, Cháng Jiāng biàn chéng le Wú Shǔ liǎng guó tiān rán de guó jiè xiàn. Shù bǎi nián lái, Cháng Jiāng yī zhí dōu shì zǔ dǎng běi fāng jūn duì nán xià de yī dào tiān rán píng zhàng. Tāo tāo jiāng shuǐ, bēn liú bù xī, qì shì bàng bó, shuǐ liú tuān jí, jiāng miàn kuò kuò, gèng yǒu wú shù de xiǎn tāng hé àn jiāo, shǐ de nán lái běi wǎng de chuán zhǐ jīng cháng zāo yù wēi xiǎn, shèn zhì chén mò. Lì shǐ shàng xǔ duō shì tú dù jiāng de jūn duì, dōu yīn wèi Cháng Jiāng tiān qiàn ér shībài. Jǐ shǐ shì yǒng yǒu qiáng dà bīng lì de běi fāng jūn duì, yě cháng cháng wàng jiāng xīng tàn, bù gǎn qīng yì dù jiāng. Cháng Jiāng tiān qiàn bù jǐn jìn shì dì lǐ shàng de xiǎn yào, gèng shì xīn lǐ shàng de jù dà zhàng'ài. Tā xiàng zhēngzhe nán yǐ yú yuè de kùn nán hé tiǎo zhàn, yě zhèng jìng le wú shù yīng xióng de shībài yǔ huī huáng.

After Sun Quan's great victory over Cao Cao in the Battle of Red Cliffs, the Yangtze River became a natural boundary between the Wu and Shu states. For hundreds of years, the Yangtze River has been a natural barrier preventing the southward advance of northern armies. The vast and unceasing flow of the river, its majestic and rapid current, and the wide river surface with countless rapids and reefs made navigation dangerous, even leading to shipwrecks. Many armies that attempted to cross the river failed because of this natural obstacle. Even northern armies with strong forces often hesitated to cross. The Yangtze River's barrier was not only a geographical obstacle, but also a psychological one. It symbolized insurmountable difficulties and challenges, bearing witness to the failures and triumphs of countless heroes.

Usage

多用于描写长江的险要地势，或比喻难以逾越的障碍。

duō yòng yú miáo xiě Cháng Jiāng de xiǎn yào dì shì, huò bǐ yù nán yǐ yú yuè de zhàng'ài

Mostly used to describe the dangerous terrain of the Yangtze River, or to illustrate an insurmountable obstacle.

Examples

• 长江天堑，自古难以逾越。

  Cháng Jiāng tiān qiàn, zì gǔ nán yǐ yú yuè

  The Yangtze River has always been a natural barrier.

• 古代，长江是兵家必争之地，也是天然的天堑。

  gǔ dài, Cháng Jiāng shì bīng jiā bì zhēng zhī dì, yě shì tiān rán de tiān qiàn

  In ancient times, the Yangtze River was a fiercely contested place and a natural barrier

Related Idioms

• 长江天险

• 天险

Opposite Idioms

• 坦途

• 捷径