The meaning of the metaphor is that there is no turning back, and it is necessary to win the battle and make up one's mind to do it to the end regardless of everything. Kettle: pot. Break the rice pot, sink the ferry. Although the phrase "burning the boat and breaking the cauldron" in Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" also means to fight to the death, it has not yet become an allusion to the story that is often talked about in later generations.
Source: Ming Chen Xiaoyi's "Book with Luo Pianan": "In the fall, I will break the kettle and sink the boat; I will hold the food for three days; I will plan to shoot the thief and capture the king; I will not be defeated; and then I will go to the door but I will not be able to do anything about it."
Example sentence He went to the graduate school exam with the courage to break the kettle.
Near synonyms
Backwater? [ bèi shuǐ yī zhàn ] To make a final showdown with the enemy in an unfavorable situation; a metaphor for facing a desperate situation and making a last-ditch effort to find a way out.
Originality: "The Records of the Grand Historian - The Lianzhuan of the Marquis of Huaiyin": "(Han) Xin made ten thousand people travel; he went out; he carried the water back to the Chen (formation). ...... All the troops fought to the death; they could not be defeated."
Antonyms
Lifting up? [ jǔ qí bù dìng ] Holding a chess piece one cannot decide how to move. It is a metaphor for not being able to make up one's mind. Zuo Zhuan (左传-襄公二十五年)："The player is indecisive and cannot win the game."
Origin: Zuo Zhuan (左传-襄公二十五年)："The player is uncertain about his move; he cannot win his game."