📖 Meaning
This idiom describes strength or morale being repeatedly depleted until it is completely exhausted. It conveys that after successive efforts, vigor and resources diminish to the point of collapse. The phrase is often used of armies, willpower, or any force losing momentum with each renewed attempt.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Zuo Zhuan (左传·庄公十年), recording the Battle of Changshao in 684 BC between the states of Lu and Qi during the Spring and Autumn period. The strategist Cao Gui (曹刿) advised Duke Zhuang of Lu (鲁庄公) on the conduct of battle, declaring that war depends on courage: the first drumbeat rouses the soldiers' spirit, the second sees it flag, and the third leaves it utterly spent. Cao Gui therefore urged the Duke to withhold his own attack until the Qi army had beaten their drums three times and their courage was exhausted, after which Lu struck and won a decisive victory.
💡 Example Usage
敌军连日进攻，已是再衰三竭，我军可乘势反击。
The enemy has attacked for days on end and is now thoroughly exhausted; our army can seize the moment to counterattack.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 再衰三竭
- Pinyin: zài shuāi sān jié
- Literal Translation: again, decline, three, exhaust
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4