Idiom Explanation:
一鼓作气：The first beating of the drums in battle can boost the soldiers’ energy. The metaphor is to finish something at once while having enough energy. A drum, the first time the drum is beaten.
Pronunciation:
一鼓作气：yī yán jiǔ dǐng
origin:
《左传·庄公十年》：“夫战；勇气也；一鼓作气；再而衰；三而竭。”
Zuo Zhuan – Zhuang Gong ten years: “Fu war; courage; a drum; again and again; three and exhausted.”
story:
In the spring of 684 B.C., the powerful state of Qi attacked the weak state of Lu. Duke Lu Zhuang thought that Qi had repeatedly bullied them and could not stand it any longer. He was determined to fight with Qi to the death, so he personally led his army to the battle. Qi’s attack on Lu also aroused the indignation of the people of Lu. A man named Cao Đức asked to see the Duke of Lu and asked to join the war against Qi.
The two armies took up positions at Changshu (northeast of Laiwu, Shandong Province) and prepared for a battle. The Qi army, being outnumbered, started to attack by beating the drums. The Duke of Lu was about to order a counter-attack, but Cao Jun stopped him, saying, “It’s not time yet!” When the Qi army beat the war drums for the second time, Cao Jun still told Duke Lu to hold his troops still. The soldiers of the Lu army were furious at the appearance of the Qi army, but without the order of the commander, they had to hold their breath and wait.
Seeing that the Lu army did not move, the commander of the Qi army ordered to beat the drum for the third time, but Cao Jun still did not move his troops. The Qi army was ready to attack three times, but the Lu army did not respond, so their morale was greatly reduced and they were very tired. At that moment, Cao Jun made a prompt decision and said to Duke Lu Zhuang, “The time has come to attack, order a counter-attack!”
The drums of the Lu army rang out and the soldiers of the Lu army, who had been ready to attack, pounced like a tiger. The Qi army had not had time to defend themselves, so they abandoned their armor and fled everywhere. After the battle was won, Duke Lu Zhuang asked Cao Jun in confusion, “Why should our army attack the enemy only after the third beating of the drums?”
Cao Jun explained, “In war, it is all about morale. When the opponent beats the first drum, the morale is at its peak; when the second drum is beaten, the morale has been reduced; when the third drum is beaten, the morale has been lost. When the opponent is deflated, but our soldiers are full of morale, with a strong morale army to attack a slack and tired army, then of course we can win! Cao Jun added, “The strength of Qi’s army cannot be underestimated, and they may set up an ambush to lure us. I saw that they were fleeing in a chaotic wheel path and their battle flags were down, which meant that they were fleeing in haste and had not ambushed their troops in advance, so I was relieved to pursue them.” After listening to this explanation, Duke Lu realized it and praised Cao Jun for his thoughtfulness.
Similar Idioms:
- 一气呵成
- 趁热打铁
