📖 Meaning
This idiom means to advance and retreat together in complete unison. It describes a group acting in perfect coordination, sharing the same direction and pace. It is often used in military or team contexts to emphasize solidarity and mutual dependence.
📜 Origin Story
The character 旅 (lǚ) in classical Chinese carries the sense of 'together' or 'jointly,' as seen in compounds such as 旅力 (combined strength). The phrase depicts troops or companions advancing and retreating in lockstep, never abandoning one another. It reflects the classical military ideal of unified action and collective solidarity in coordinated effort. No single literary source is definitively attributed to this idiom, but it draws on the broader classical tradition of valuing coordinated, communal movement.
💡 Example Usage
全军将士退旅进旅，始终协同作战，终破敌阵。
The entire army advanced and retreated as one, fighting in perfect coordination until they finally broke through the enemy lines.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 退旅进旅
- Pinyin: tuì lǚ jìn lǚ
- Literal Translation: retreat, together, advance, together
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4