📖 Meaning
Describes a heroic and fierce struggle in which people charge forward wave after wave, with those in front falling and those behind pressing on undaunted. It conveys the spirit of unyielding sacrifice where no amount of casualties can break the resolve of those who follow.
📜 Origin Story
No specific classical source is recorded for this idiom. It is a variant of the more common idiom 前仆后继 (qián pú hòu jì), where the character 踣 (bó, meaning 'to fall' or 'to topple') replaces 继 (jì, meaning 'to continue'). This substitution intensifies the imagery of sacrifice, emphasizing not just the continuity of the struggle but the heavy toll it exacts. Both forms have been used in modern Chinese literature to celebrate the martyrdom of revolutionaries and soldiers who gave their lives for a cause.
💡 Example Usage
革命先烈们前仆后踣，用鲜血换来了今天的和平。
The revolutionary martyrs, falling one after another in battle, exchanged their blood for the peace we enjoy today.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 前仆后踣
- Pinyin: qián pú hòu bó
- Literal Translation: front fall, back topple
- Category: Perseverance
- Characters: 4