四面楚歌

四面楚歌

Literally means:

songs of the State of Chu can be heard in all four directions

Actually means:

find oneself under attack from all quarters

More than 2,000 years ago in China, when General Xiang Yu and his army were besieged by the army of Liu Bang, the first emperor of Han Dynasty, Xiang Yu heard the Han army singing the song of Chu. He was greatly taken aback, hinking that his territory Chu had been occupied by Liu.

The phrase is later used to mean that one is in a very difficult situation, surrounded by the enemy in all directions. It also describes someone who is on the verge of failure. Derogatory.

两千多年以前，项羽和他的楚军遭到刘邦（汉朝的第一个皇帝）的汉军包围时，在夜里听到汉军高声唱着楚地的歌，大吃一惊，以为刘邦全部占领了楚地（项羽的地盘）。

后来用“四面楚歌”比喻四面都是敌人，处于十分困难的境地。也指处在失败的边缘。具有贬义色彩。