鹿死谁手 Whose hands will the deer fall into?
Explanation
比喻最终的胜利者尚未确定。现多指竞赛中谁胜谁负难以预料。
It is used to express that the final winner is not yet determined. Now it is mostly used to express that it is difficult to predict who wins or loses in a competition.
Origin Story
话说晋朝时期，北方战乱不断，五胡十六国互相征伐，其中石勒建立的赵国势力强盛，石勒自视甚高，一次他问大臣徐光，自己能比肩哪位历史上的皇帝。徐光回答是汉高祖刘邦。石勒哈哈大笑，说自己只能做刘邦的部下，但如果遇到光武帝刘秀，那两人在中原决战，鹿死谁手，那就未可知了。这个故事后来演变成了成语“鹿死谁手”，用来比喻竞争的最终结果难以预测，充满悬念。石勒和刘秀，一位是雄才大略的创业之主，一位是励精图治的守成之君，他们如果真的在中原一较高下，历史将会改写。
During the Jin Dynasty, the north was constantly plagued by war and unrest. The Five Barbarians and Sixteen Kingdoms fought against each other. Among them, the Zhao kingdom established by Shi Le was strong. Shi Le was very self-confident, and once he asked his minister Xu Guang which emperor in history he could compare himself to. Xu Guang replied with Han Gaozu Liu Bang. Shi Le laughed loudly and said that he could only be Liu Bang's subordinate, but if he were to meet the Guangwu Emperor Liu Xiu, the outcome of a duel between them in the Central Plains would be uncertain. This story later evolved into the idiom “鹿死谁手”, which is used to describe the unpredictable and suspenseful outcome of a competition. Shi Le and Liu Xiu, one a ruler with great abilities and plans, the other a ruler who strove to govern the country. If they had really competed against each other in the Central Plains, history would have been rewritten.
Usage
多用于比赛或竞争中，表示结果难料。
It is often used in competitions or competitions to indicate that the result is uncertain.
Examples
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这场比赛，鹿死谁手，尚未可知。
zhe chang bisai,lu si shui shou,shang wei ke zhi
The outcome of this competition is still unknown.
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两军对垒，鹿死谁手，尚未可知
liang jun duilei,lu si shui shou,shang wei ke zhi
In this duel, it is still unclear who will win.