破釜沉舟 pò fǔ chén zhōu

burn one's boats; make a do-or-die effort

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency 39301st word

Definitions

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

Characters

Character Meaning
broken; to break, split or cleave; damaged
cauldron; kettle
to sink; heavy; deep
boat