Meaning of the Idiom
ru huo ru tu（Like Fire and Flowering Rush）
In the years around 480 B.C., China was in the last phase of the Spring and Autumn Period. Fu Chai, King of the State of Wu, conquered the states of Yue, Lu and Chi one after another. Then Fu Chai, overweeningly ambitious, led his army marching into the Northwest in an attempt to conquer the State of Jin in one vigorous effort.
But just at that time,Gou Jian,king of the State of Yue,outflanked Fu Chai and attacked him in the rear.Gou Jian’s army fought one battle after another and arrived in Gu Su,capital of the State of Wu,at last,and took away the big boats of the State of Wu.Gou Jin also sent his troops to occupy the Huai River immediately,thus cutting off Fu Chai’s retreat.
The shocking news reached Fu Chai, king of the State of Wu, like a head-on blow to him. So he called his civilian officials and military generals at once to find a way to deal with this serious situation. His civilian officials and military their troops now would mean defeat, and that they would be attacked by both the troops of the Jin army and the troops of the Yue army. But ,if they could defeat the State of Jin, Fu Chai would become a powerful chief of the princes at that time, and it would not be too late for Fu Chai to settle with Gou Jian after that.
Having made this decision,they knew that a pressing matter of the moment was to conquer th State of Jin as quickly as possible.After considering over and over again,they decided to try to defeat the Jin army by a surprise move.
One day towards evening, the king of the State of Wu gave his orders. The officers and men of the whole army ate their fill, and the steeds were well fed with fodder.30,000 officers and men were chosen from the whole army to from three phalanxes, with 10,000 officers and men each. The solders in the middle phalanx wore white suits of armour, and carried white flags and white bows and arrows, and they were led by king of the State of Wu Fu Chai himself. The other two phalanxes were led by senior generals. The soldiers in the left phalanx wore red suits of armour, and carried red flags and red bows and arrows. The soldiers in the right phalanx wore black suits of armour, and carried black flags and black bows and arrows. The whole army set out at midnight, and arrived at dawn at a place within a LI’s distance of the Jin army. When the day was beginning to break, the soldiers of the Wu army began to beat the drums heavily and their whoop resounded like rolls of thunder.
Awakening from their dreams, the solders of the Jin army were almost stupefied by the imposing manner of the three phalanxes of the Wu army. The white phalanx was like a field covered with flowering rush, the red phalanx was like a burning fire, and the black phalanx was simply like a sea too deep to fathom.
This story comes from Conversations from the States. Later generations often use the set phrase “like fire and flowering rush” to refer to tremendous momentum.
如火如荼
rú huǒ rú tú，意思是像火那样红，像荼那样白。原比喻军容之盛。现用来形容旺盛、热烈或激烈。
出自《国语.吴语》
例句
三月里的樱花已经悄然开放，开的如火如荼，极其美丽。
竞选活动已经是进行得如火如荼。
救灾运动已在全国各地如火如荼地展开。
Reading The Paragraphs!
Meaning of Words
| 词语 | 华文解释 | 英文解释 |
|---|---|---|
| 雄心勃勃 | 意思是形容雄心很大，很有理想。 例句：他雄心勃勃地去国外干一番事业。 | be alive with ambition |
| 一鼓作气 | 原意是作战擂响第一声战鼓时，士气最为高涨，比喻趁劲头大的时候鼓起干劲，一口气把工作做完。 例句：这个项目开头十分顺利，我们应该一鼓作气把它完成。 | to finish something without let-up while their spirits are rising. |
| 当务之急 | 意思是当前急切应办的要事。 例句：让更多的人接种疫苗是缓解疫情的当务之急。 | top priority |
| 出奇制胜 | 意思是出奇兵战胜敌人。比喻用对方意料不到的方法取得胜利。 例句：想要在竞争激烈的市场中赢出，就需要出奇制胜。 | win the battle by surprise tactics |
| 鼓声大作 | 形容击鼓的声音密集而响亮。 例句：庆典刚一开始，就看见仪仗队步入会场，旁边鼓声大作。 | The drums were loud. |
| 震天动地 | 意思是震动了天地。形容声音或声势极大。 例句：昨晚的一声巨雷震天动地，一下子吓醒了我。 | shake heaven and earth |
| 声威 | 意思为声势和威势。 例句：特种部队击毙了几名重要恐怖分子，声威大震。 | reputation |
| 深不可测 | 意思是深得无法测量，比喻对事物的情况捉摸不透。 例句：他那双深邃的眼睛让人感到深不可测。 | unfathomable |
Daily Language 