Du Yu, a general and scholar of the Western Jin dynasty, was planning the conquest of the kingdom of Wu. His colleagues urged caution: "The enemy is strong. We should wait."
Du Yu disagreed: "Remember how Le Yi, with a single victory west of the Ji River, conquered the mighty state of Qi? Our army's morale is at its peak. We are like a man splitting bamboo — once you cut through the first few knots, the rest of the stalk splits open on its own. There is no point where you need to stop and force."
He attacked. The conquest of Wu — one of the great military campaigns of Chinese history — took just four months. Like bamboo, once the first resistance was broken, the rest fell apart.
杜预曰：「昔乐毅藉济西一战以并强齐，今兵威已振，譬如破竹，数节之后，皆迎刃而解，无复著手处也。」
杜预曰：「昔乐毅藉济西一战以并强齐，今兵威已振，譬如破竹，数节之后，皆迎刃而解，无复著手处也。」
Reflection & Analysis · 寓意解读
Core Wisdom
Momentum is the most powerful force in war and in life. The first victory creates the second; the second creates the third. Begin well, and the rest follows like bamboo splitting.
The phrase "势如破竹" (like splitting bamboo) describes unstoppable momentum. Du Yu's insight is about timing: there are moments when the conditions for success are aligned, and hesitation wastes them. The bamboo does not resist after the first cut — it yields.
This is also a lesson about psychology. Once an army believes it is winning, it fights harder. Once an enemy believes it is losing, it fights weaker. Momentum is self-reinforcing. The art is knowing when the first knot has been cut — and pressing forward without pause.