Battle of Julu - Legacy

Legacy

Some Chinese idioms and proverbs originated from the events in the Battle of Julu, including:

• "Breaking cauldrons and sinking boats" (破釜沉舟)
• "Pitting the strength of one against ten" (以一當十)
• "Sitting on the wall and watching" (坐壁上觀)

Ming Dynasty politician and scholar Mao Kun (茅坤) described the Battle of Julu as:

"Xiang Yu's proudest moment in battle, and Taishigong (Sima Qian)'s most gratifying document."

Qing Dynasty artist Zheng Banqiao wrote a poem titled Battle of Julu:

Cruelty and barbarism masked by deception and cunning, Cao Cao and Zhu Wen both claimed the throne. This is nothing like a hero riding on a fine horse with a beautiful maiden, people who cross the Wu River shed tears.

In 1912 workers constructing the Longhai Railway unearthed large amounts of human remains at Yima, Henan, the site where Xiang Yu had the 200,000 surrendered Qin soldiers buried alive. The place has since been referred to as the "Chu pits" (楚坑).