百战不殆 (bǎi zhàn bù dài) — to be ever-victorious; to win every battle; to be invincible; to come out on top every time

Definition

Literary idiom from Sunzi: 'to win every battle, be invincible.' Used for lasting dominance in competition, war, or business — far stronger than the everyday 战胜.

idiom
to be ever-victoriousto win every battleto be invincibleto come out on top every time

Examples

  • 殆，。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī zài shì chǎng shàng bǎi zhàn bù dài, cóng wèi kuī sǔn guò.
    This company is invincible in the market and has never suffered a loss.
  • ，百战不殆。
    Tā yán jiū bīng fǎ duō nián, zì rèn kě yǐ bǎi zhàn bù dài.
    He has studied military strategy for years and believes he can be invincible.
  • ，百战不殆。
    Zhǐ yǒu zhī jǐ zhī bǐ, cái néng bǎi zhàn bù dài.
    Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

百战hundred battles
百bǎihundred战zhànbattle
偏正Modifier + head
不殆without danger
不bùnot殆dàidanger
偏正Modifier + head

百战 hundred battles and 不殆 without danger combine to describe winning every battle.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
一一yī
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái百bǎi
Same sound today

百 combines 一, which carries the number meaning, with 白, which provides the sound.

Open 百 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
戈戈gē
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn战zhàn
Same sound today

战 pairs 占, which gives its sound, with 戈, a weapon.

Open 战 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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