📖 Meaning
Refers to the Great Wall of China. Also used metaphorically for a great general or military leader upon whom the nation relies for defense. In modern usage, it often refers to the people's army as the nation's protective force.
📜 Origin Story
From the Biography of Tan Daoji in the History of the Southern Dynasties (Nan Shi). Tan Daoji was a renowned general of the Liu Song dynasty. When he was wrongfully arrested by the court, he flew into a rage, his eyes glaring like torches. He drank a whole hu of wine, then threw his headband to the ground and declared, 'You are destroying your own Great Wall!' — meaning the court was tearing down its most vital defender. The phrase has since become a metaphor for a nation's indispensable protective force.
💡 Example Usage
人民军队是保卫祖国的万里长城。
The people's army is the Great Wall that defends the motherland.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 万里长城
- Pinyin: wàn lǐ cháng chéng
- Literal Translation: ten thousand li, long, wall
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4