Chinese idiom · 成语
四面楚歌
Meaning
Surrounded by Chu songs; to be in a desperate, isolated situation.
Character by character
四four
面side, face
楚Chu (state)
歌song
Origin and story
From Records of the Grand Historian (Shǐ jì). Xiang Yu was surrounded by enemies singing Chu songs, signaling his army’s doom.