鼎足之势 dǐng zú zhī shì Three-legged stalemate

Explanation

比喻三方势力对峙，形成一个僵持的局面。通常指力量相当的三方势力，各自占据一方，互相牵制，谁也无法轻易战胜对方。

It refers to a stalemate among three forces, each holding its own territory and checking each other, making it impossible to easily defeat the others.

Origin Story

话说西汉末年，天下大乱，群雄逐鹿。刘邦与项羽经过数年的残酷厮杀，最终刘邦取得胜利，建立了汉朝。然而，天下并未完全统一，还有一些割据势力存在。其中，实力最强的三个势力分别是刘邦的汉朝、项羽的楚国和彭越的梁国。这三个势力实力相当，谁也无法彻底消灭对方，形成了一种三足鼎立的局面。最终，刘邦通过各种手段，消灭了项羽和彭越等势力，实现了天下大一统。然而，在汉朝之前，这种“鼎足之势”也曾多次出现，在楚汉相争时期，也曾一度出现过汉、楚、齐三国鼎立的局面，最终都被刘邦一一化解。这段历史告诉我们，任何“鼎足之势”都是暂时的，最终的胜利者往往依靠实力和策略。

shuō huà xī hàn mònián, tiānxià dà luàn, qúnxióng zhúlù. liúbāng yǔ xiàng yǔ jīngguò shù nián de cànkù sī shā, zuìzhōng liúbāng qǔdé shènglì, jiànlìle hàn cháo. rán'ér, tiānxià bìng wèi wánquán tǒngyī, hái yǒu yīxiē gējù shìlì cúnzài. qízhōng, shí lì zuì qiáng de sān gè shìlì jiùshì liúbāng de hàn cháo, xiàng yǔ de chǔ guó hé péng yuè de liáng guó. zhè sān gè shìlì shí lì xiāngdāng, shuí yě wúfǎ chèdǐ mièxiāo duìfāng, xíngchéngle yī zhǒng sān zú dǐnglì de júmiàn. zuìzhōng, liúbāng tōngguò gè zhǒng shǒuduàn, mièxiāo le xiàng yǔ hé péng yuè děng shìlì, shíxiànle tiānxià dà yī tǒng. rán'ér, zài hàn cháo zhīqián, zhè zhǒng “dǐngzú zhī shì” yě céng duō cì chūxiàn, zài chǔ hàn xiāng zhēng shíqī, yě céng yīdù chūxiàn guò hàn, chǔ, qí sānguó dǐnglì de júmiàn, zuìzhōng dōu bèi liúbāng yīyī huàjiě. zhè duàn lìshǐ gàosù wǒmen, rènhé “dǐngzú zhī shì” dōu shì zànshí de, zuìzhōng de shènglì zhě wǎngwǎng yīkào shí lì hé cèlüè.

At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, the country was in chaos, and various warlords fought for dominance. After several years of brutal fighting, Liu Bang finally won and established the Han Dynasty. However, the country was not completely unified; several regional powers still existed. Among these, the three strongest powers were Liu Bang's Han Dynasty, Xiang Yu's Chu, and Peng Yue's Liang. These three powers were evenly matched and could not completely eliminate each other, creating a three-way standoff. In the end, Liu Bang, through various means, eliminated Xiang Yu, Peng Yue, and other forces, achieving the reunification of the country. However, the history before the Han Dynasty shows that this kind of “three-legged stalemate” has appeared many times. During the Chu-Han contention, there was once a three-way standoff between Han, Chu, and Qi, which was ultimately resolved by Liu Bang. This history tells us that any “three-legged stalemate” is temporary, and the ultimate winner often relies on strength and strategy.

Usage

主要用于形容三方势力力量相当，互相制衡的局面。常用于政治、军事、经济等领域。

zhǔyào yòng yú xíngróng sānfāng shìlì lìliàng xiāngdāng, hùxiāng zhìhéng de júmiàn. cháng yòng yú zhèngzhì, jūnshì, jīngjì děng lǐngyù.

Mainly used to describe a situation where three forces are equally powerful and check and balance each other. Often used in politics, military, and economics.

Examples

• 三国时期，魏蜀吴三国鼎足而立，形成了一场持续多年的战争局面。

  sānguó shíqí, wèi shǔ wú sānguó dǐngzú'ér lì, xíngchéngle yī chǎng chíxù duōnián de zhànzhēng júmiàn.; rújīn de shìchǎng jìngzhēng jīliè, jǐ dà gōngsī dǐngzú zhī shì, shuí shèng shuí fù shàng wèi kě zhī

  During the Three Kingdoms period, Wei, Shu, and Wu stood in a stalemate, resulting in a protracted war.

• 如今的市场竞争激烈，几大公司鼎足之势，谁胜谁负尚未可知。

  Today's market is fiercely competitive. Several major companies are in a stalemate, and the winner is yet to be determined.

Related Idioms

• 三足鼎立

• 三分天下

Opposite Idioms

• 一统天下

• 独占鳌头