背水の陣

Japanese
Kanji in this term
背 水 陣
はい
Grade: 6		 すい
Grade: 1		 じん
Grade: S
on’yomi
Alternative spelling
背水之陣

Etymology

Calque of Literary Chinese 背水陣 (bèishuǐzhèn) (originally 背水陳, literally "arrange the battle array with soldiers' back to the river". 陳／陈 (chén) is an ancient variant of 陣／阵 (zhèn)), from the Records of the Grand Historian.

Compare modern Chinese 背水一戰／背水一战 (bèishuǐ-yīzhàn).

Pronunciation
  • (Tokyo) はいすいのじ​ん [hàísúí nó jíꜜǹ] (Nakadaka – [6])[1]
  • IPA(key): [ha̠isɨᵝi no̞ d͡ʑĩɴ]

Idiom

背(はい)水(すい)の陣(じん) • (haisui no jin) ←はいすいのぢん (faisuinodin)?

  1. burning one's boats; going for broke

Derived terms
  • 背水(はいすい)の陣(じん)を敷(し)く (haisui no jin o shiku, “to burn one's boats”)

References
  1. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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