两千多年前，中国有一个强大的朝代，叫秦。秦的法律很严，老百姓的日子很苦。
More than two thousand years ago, China had a powerful dynasty called Qin. Its laws were harsh, and ordinary people lived hard lives.
很多人起来反对秦朝。其中一个年轻人叫项羽。他个子高，力气大，也很会打仗。
Many people rose up against the Qin dynasty. One of them was a young man named Xiang Yu. He was tall, very strong, and good at fighting.
有一年，秦军包围了一座城，叫巨鹿。别的队伍都去救这座城，可是大家都很怕秦军，不敢进攻。
One year, the Qin army surrounded a city called Julu. Other armies came to help, but everyone was afraid of the Qin soldiers, and no one dared to attack.
项羽的队伍也到了。他让士兵坐船过河。过河以后，他做了一件让所有人大吃一惊的事。
Xiang Yu’s army arrived too. He had his soldiers cross the river by boat. After they crossed, he did something that shocked everyone.
他叫人把饭锅全部打破，把船全部弄沉，每个人只带三天的干粮。士兵们没有退路了。
He ordered his men to smash all their cooking pots and sink all their boats. Each person could carry only three days of food. Now the soldiers had no way back.
项羽说：“我们要打赢，不要想回家。”士兵们都明白了：只有打败秦军，才能活下去。
Xiang Yu said: “We must win. Do not think about going home.” The soldiers all understood: only by defeating the Qin army could they stay alive.
战斗开始了。项羽的士兵一个人要打好几个敌人，可是没有一个人后退。他们越打越勇敢。
The battle began. Each of Xiang Yu’s soldiers had to fight several enemies, but not one of them stepped back. They fought more and more bravely.
最后，项羽的军队赢了，秦军被打败了。别的队伍的将领都很佩服项羽，从此都听他的号令。
In the end, Xiang Yu’s army won, and the Qin army was defeated. The generals of the other armies admired Xiang Yu deeply, and from then on they all followed his orders.
后来，人们用“破釜沉舟”这四个字，表示下了决心做一件事，不成功就不回来。
Later, people used the four characters 破釜沉舟 — “break the cauldrons and sink the boats” — to describe making up your mind to do something, and not coming back until you succeed.