破釜沉舟

pò fǔ chén zhōu

Dictionary entry

lit. to break the cauldrons and sink the boats (idiom); fig. to cut off one's means of retreat

What does 破釜沉舟 mean?

破釜沉舟 (pò fǔ chén zhōu) has the following dictionary meaning.

1lit. to break the cauldrons and sink the boats (idiom); fig. to cut off one's means of retreat

2to burn one's boats

Character breakdown

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破pòbroken · damaged 釜fǔkettle · cauldron 沉chénvariant of 沉[chen2]舟zhōuboat

Reviewed examples

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How to pronounce 破釜沉舟

破釜沉舟

pò fǔ chén zhōu

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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.