Zhou Yu (175-210), famous general of the southern Wu kingdom and victor of the battle of Redcliff / in Romance of the Three Kingdoms 三國演義|三国演义[San1 guo2 Yan3 yi4], absolutely no match for Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮|诸葛亮[Zhu1 ge3 Liang4]
lit. military tactics on paper (idiom) / fig. theoretical discussion that is worse than useless in practice / armchair strategist / idle theorizing / cf Zhao Kuo 趙括|赵括[Zhao4 Kuo4] leading an army of 400,000 to total annihilation at battle of Changping 長平之戰|长平之战[Chang2 ping2 zhi1 Zhan4] in 260 BC
Battle of Redcliff of 208 at Chibi in Huangzhou district 黃州區|黄州区[Huang2 zhou1 qu1] of Huanggang city 黃岡|黄冈[Huang2 gang1], a decisive defeat of Cao Cao 曹操[Cao2 Cao1] at the hands of southern kingdom of Wu / famous episode in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms 三國演義|三国演义[San1 guo2 Yan3 yi4]
Huaihai Campaign (Nov 1948-Jan 1949), one of the three major campaigns by the People's Liberation Army near the end of the Chinese Civil War, considered the determining battle of the war
披靡
pī mǐ
to be swept by the wind / to be blown about by the wind / to be routed (in battle etc)
赤膊上阵
chì bó shàng zhèn
lit. to go into battle bare-breasted (idiom) / fig. to go all out / to come out in the open
two tigers fight (idiom) / fig. a dispute between two powerful adversaries / a battle of the giants
屡战屡败
lu:3 zhàn lu:3 bài
to suffer defeat in every battle (idiom)
枕戈寝甲
zhěn gē qǐn jiǎ
to sleep on one's armor with a spear as a pillow (idiom) / to keep ready for battle at all times
枕戈待旦
zhěn gē dài dàn
to wait for dawn, one's head resting on a spear (idiom) / fully prepared and biding one's time before the battle
灭此朝食
miè cǐ zhāo shí
lit. not to have breakfast until the enemy is destroyed / anxious to do battle (idiom)
秤砣虽小压千斤
chèng tuó suī xiǎo yā qiān jīn
although small, a steelyard weight may tip a hundred pounds (idiom) / apparently insignificant details can have a large impact / for want of a nail the battle was lost
磨刀霍霍
mó dāo huò huò
lit. to sharpen one's sword (idiom) / fig. to prepare to attack / to be getting ready for battle
战酣
zhàn hān
(literary) at the height of the battle
阵亡者
zhèn wáng zhě
people killed in battle
上阵杀敌
shàng zhèn shā dí
to go into battle / to strike at the enemy
中途岛战役
Zhōng tú Dǎo Zhàn yì
Battle of Midway, June 1942
周瑜打黄盖
Zhōu Yú dǎ Huáng Gài
fig. with the connivance of both sides / fig. by mutual consent / cf Wu patriot Huang Gai submits to mock beating at the hands of General Zhou Yu to deceive Cao Cao 曹操[Cao2 Cao1] before the 208 battle of Redcliff 赤壁之戰|赤壁之战[Chi4 bi4 zhi1 Zhan4]
孟良崮战役
Mèng liáng gù Zhàn yì
Battle of Mt Mengliang in Shandong of 1947 between the Nationalists and Communists
官渡之战
Guān dù zhī zhàn
Battle of Guandu of 199 that established Cao Cao's 曹操[Cao2 Cao1] domination over north China, at Guandu (near modern 許昌|许昌[Xu3 chang1] in north Henan)
Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943), decisive battle of Second World War and one of the bloodiest battles in history, when the Germans failed to take Stalingrad, were then trapped and destroyed by Soviet forces
斯大林格勒会战
Sī dà lín gé lè Huì zhàn
Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943) / also called 斯大林格勒戰役|斯大林格勒战役
柏举之战
Bǎi jǔ zhī zhàn
Battle of Baiju (506 BC), in which Wu 吳|吴[Wu2] scored a crushing victory over Chu 楚[Chu3]
汤玉麟
Tāng Yù lín
Tang Yulin (1871-1937), minor warlord in northeast China, sometime governor of Chengde 承德, mostly poor in battle but very successful at accumulating personal wealth
瓜达卡纳尔战役
Guā dá kǎ nà ěr zhàn yì
battle of Guadalcanal of late 1942, the turning point of the war in the Pacific
zhàn