背水一战

lit. fight with one's back to the river (idiom); fig. to fight to win or die

variant of 背[bei1]

to be burdened / to carry on the back or shoulder

the back of a body or object / to turn one's back / to hide something from / to learn by heart / to recite from memory / unlucky (slang) / hard of hearing

surname Shui

water / river / liquid / beverage / additional charges or income / (of clothes) classifier for number of washes

one / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire; whole; all; throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) / also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit

World War I (1914-1918)

to fight / fight / war / battle