Chinese idiom – 四面楚歌 sì miàn chǔ gē

The Story of Being Besieged on All Sides by the Song of Chu

The story took place during the struggle between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu for power after the fall of the Qin Dynasty, which marked the beginning of the five-year-long struggle between the Chu and Han kingdoms. In 202 BC, Xiang Yu was trapped by Liu Bang’s forces in Gaixia. Due to a shortage of food and a dwindling army, Xiang Yu’s forces were in dire straits.

To undermine Xiang Yu’s morale, Liu Bang devised a strategy. He ordered his troops to sing songs from the land of Chu around Xiang Yu’s camp. As most of Xiang Yu’s soldiers were from Chu, hearing the familiar melodies of their homeland, they mistook it for a sign that Chu had already fallen to Liu Bang. This greatly diminished their fighting spirit and will to resist.

Upon hearing the songs, Xiang Yu was shocked and despairing. Believing that his hometown had been captured and his army defeated, he felt trapped and hopeless. Facing adversity on all sides, Xiang Yu chose to end his life by committing suicide at the Wu River.

This story later evolved into the idiom “being besieged on all sides by the song of Chu,” which is used to describe a person who is attacked or pressured from all directions, leaving them isolated and helpless. This idiom is still widely used in modern society to describe a person’s desperation and helplessness when faced with difficulties.