四面楚歌

Japanese

Kanji in this term
四	面	楚	歌

Noun

四面楚歌 (hiragana しめんそか, romaji shimensoka)

1. facing hostility, difficulty, or frustration on all sides

   この失敗で私はまったくの四面楚歌に追い込まれてしまった。

   このしっぱいでわたしはまったくのしめんそかにおいこまれてしまった。
   kono shippai de watashi wa mattaku no shimensoka ni oikomarete shimatta.

   As a result of this failure, I am now completely cut off and surrounded.

External links

• Google hits: .jp

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Mandarin

simpl. and trad.
四面楚歌

Etymology

Literally: surrounded on four sides by the songs of Chu

During the Chu-Han contention, Xiang Yu found himself besieged in the city of Gaixia (垓下), by the coalition force of Han and the other kings. Jiujiang fell to Ying Bu and Liu Jia the preceding month, and most of the Kingdom of Chu was occupied by the Han army. When he heard the besieging troops singing songs in the Chu accent, Xiang Yu knew his kingdom had fallen.

Idiom

四面楚歌 (traditional and simplified, Pinyin sì miàn chǔ gē)

1. facing hostility, difficulty, or frustration on all sides
   • 2006: Dongfang Zaobao staff, 四面楚歌最后辩护 兰迪斯：国际自联逼我上绝路 (Making a final defense while besieged on all sides --- Landis: UCI is leaving me with no options)

     当地时间8月7日，四面楚歌的兰迪斯为自己做出了最后的辩护。这是他在B瓶尿样呈阳性结果被披露后接受的第一次采访。 (simp.)

      

     當地時間8月7日，四面楚歌的蘭迪斯為自己做出了最後的辯護。這是他在B瓶尿樣呈陽性結果被披露後接受的第一次採訪。 (trad.)

     Floyd Landis, besieged on all sides, put up a final defense on August 7, local time. This was his first interview since his B urine sample revealed the presence of testosterone.

References

• Farewell My Concubine on Wikipedia.Wikipedia:Farewell My Concubine

External links

• Google hits: .cn
• Google hits: .tw