Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

trầm thuyền phá phủ

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In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Sink the boats, smash the pots — the general's arithmetic: no retreat, therefore victory.

Literally: sink the vessels, break the cauldrons

Examples

Bỏ hẳn đường lui, trầm thuyền phá phủ.He burned the way back — sank the boats, smashed the pots.

Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)

Sources & notes

Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.

Common questions

What does “trầm thuyền phá phủ” mean?

Sink the boats, smash the pots — the general's arithmetic: no retreat, therefore victory. Literally: sink the vessels, break the cauldrons

Is “trầm thuyền phá phủ” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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