"Single Saber to the Meeting" originates from the story in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in which Guan Yu went alone with his saber to keep an appointment with Lu Su. Originally, it meant that Guan Yu attended a banquet in Eastern Wu with only a single saber and a few attendants. Later, it came to mean going alone to a dangerous appointment or venturing deep into a perilous situation, relying on courage and wisdom to cope with it. This idiom emphasizes braving danger alone and extraordinary courage, and is often used to describe a situation in negotiations, meetings, or confrontations in which one side goes alone into the opponent's territory without fear of threats. Its deeper meanings include: first, praising fearless courage and confidence; second, implying that the situation is dangerous and that one needs a plan to deal with it; third, embodying a kind of heroic spirit. It is mostly used to describe business negotiations, political mediation, or social occasions in which someone faces many opponents alone. Its emotional tone is generally positive, but it sometimes also carries a hint of worry or recklessness. In terms of cultural background, it reflects the traditional Chinese admiration for loyalty, bravery, and wisdom, as well as the adventurous spirit expressed in "How can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's lair?"
📝 Example
1. To secure the project, he decided to go alone into the lion's den and negotiate single-handedly with the other company's negotiation team.
2. Facing the board's questioning, he went alone into the lion's den, without any assistants, and calmly answered all the questions.