Basic Info
- Chinese Idiom: 百战百胜 (Bǎi zhàn bǎi shèng)
- Pinyin: bǎi zhàn bǎi shèng
- Literal meaning: “A hundred battles, a hundred victories.”
(百 = a hundred / every; 战 = battle / war; 胜 = victory / to win)
Figurative Definition
It describes someone who wins every battle – an invincible, undefeated fighter or competitor. It is used to praise outstanding military skill, strategic superiority, and a perfect record of success.
By extension, it can describe any person or team that succeeds in every endeavor – in business, sports, debate, or competition.
In short: always victorious; never defeated.
Cultural & Historical Origin
This idiom comes from The Art of War (《孙子·谋攻》) by Sun Tzu (孙子):
“百战百胜，非善之善者也；不战而屈人之兵，善之善者也。”
“To win a hundred battles out of a hundred is not the highest excellence; to subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest excellence.”
This is a crucial nuance. Sun Tzu used “百战百胜” not as the ultimate ideal, but as a lesser achievement. Even a perfect battle record is inferior to winning without war – through strategy, diplomacy, and deterrence. The idiom later became a standalone phrase praising invincibility, but its original context carries a deeper strategic warning.
Key Lesson
Winning every battle is impressive – but the wisest victory is the one that avoids the battle altogether. The idiom praises skill and success, but Sun Tzu’s original lesson reminds us that constant fighting, even if victorious, is costly. True mastery is not just about winning; it is about achieving your goal with minimal conflict, loss, and destruction.
Cultural Note
In modern Chinese, “百战百胜” is a positive, admiring, and often dramatic idiom. It appears in:
- Sports commentary – describing an undefeated team or athlete.
- Business – describing a company or strategist with a perfect record.
- Military and historical writing – praising great generals.
- Everyday praise – “他是百战百胜的谈判高手” (“He is an unbeatable negotiator”).
Near-synonyms include “战无不胜” (zhàn wú bù shèng – “invincible in battle”), “百战不殆” (bǎi zhàn bù dài – “a hundred battles without peril”), and “战无不克” (zhàn wú bù kè – “every battle conquered”). Opposites include “一触即溃” (yī chù jí kuì – “collapse at the first touch”), “屡战屡败” (lǚ zhàn lǚ bài – “repeatedly fought, repeatedly defeated”), and “一败涂地” (yī bài tú dì – “a crushing defeat”).
Similar English Expressions
- Undefeated – Never having lost a battle or competition.
- Unbeatable / Invincible – Impossible to defeat.
- To win every time – A direct everyday equivalent.
- A perfect record – Having won all contests.
- To go undefeated – To finish a season or campaign without a loss.
- Second to none – Unsurpassed by anyone.
- To carry all before one – To succeed everywhere (literary).
- To sweep the board – To win everything (often in competitions).
The closest and most natural equivalents are “undefeated,” “unbeatable,” and “to win every battle.”
In short, “百战百胜” means a hundred battles, a hundred victories – a powerful idiom for invincibility, with a classical reminder from Sun Tzu that the greatest victory is not the one won in battle, but the one won without fighting.
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