During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, China was split between north and south. In the Yellow River region, various ethnic groups like the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Qiang, Jie, and Di carved out territories. Eventually, Fu Jian of the Di tribe formally established the Former Qin state.
In 357 CE, Fu Jian, a Di tribesman from Lüeyang Linwei (modern-day Qin'an County, Gansu), took the throne as ruler of Former Qin. He curbed lawless nobles, centralized power, boosted agriculture, and increased state revenue, steadily strengthening his kingdom. He then conquered Former Yan, Former Liang, and the Dai state, unifying most of northern China, and seized Yi Province from the Eastern Jin.
In 382 AD, the Former Qin ruler Fu Jian gathered his ministers in the court and declared, "Since I became king over twenty years ago, our state has grown from weak to strong and from small to large. No northern kingdom dares to challenge us, and no army can stand against us. Yet the Jin dynasty in the south still enjoys its freedom, occupying vast fertile lands. This thought robs me of my appetite and sleep."
Fu Jian paused here for a moment, observing his ministers' expressions. Seeing no reaction from them, he raised his voice and continued, "Now, I have 970,000 troops, which can be said to be unmatched in the world. I plan to personally lead the army to attack Jin. What do you all think?"
The court remained silent for a long time before a high-ranking official named Quan Yi spoke up, saying, "Currently, the Jin dynasty has Chancellor Xie An in power, with harmony between ruler and ministers and unity from top to bottom. Attacking and destroying them may not be the right time yet. I beg Your Highness to think thrice."
Fu Jian was very displeased upon hearing this, his face tense and silent. After a long pause, he finally said, "Let the other ministers share their views."
Crown Prince's Left Guard Commander Shi Yue stood up, adding to Quan Yi's view: "Your Majesty, though we have many troops and generals, the Jin army still holds the natural barrier of the Yangtze River. This is highly advantageous for them and extremely disadvantageous for us. Your Majesty must think thrice before acting!"
"Two ministers in a row opposed attacking Jin, infuriating Fu Jian. He stood up arrogantly and said dismissively, 'Hmph, what's so great about the Yangtze River? With my million-strong army, if I order every soldier to throw his horsewhip into the river, that alone would be enough to dam its flow!'"
The morning court broke up in displeasure, and Fu Jian returned to the inner palace in a huff. Upon hearing the news, Crown Prince Fu Hong also came to advise, "Father King, attacking Jin lacks justification. If we fail, being laughed at by the world is a minor matter, but exhausting the nation's strength is a major one. By then, it will be too late to regret!"
Fu Jian still refused to listen, determined to attack Jin. At this time, Murong Chui, a Xianbei noble who had submitted to Former Qin, had ulterior motives in urging Fu Jian to act quickly. He said, "Your Majesty is the ruler of the state; the matter of attacking Jin is entirely yours to decide, and there is no need to heed the opinions of your ministers."
The arrogant Fu Jian was pleased to hear this and said happily, "You speak rightly. It seems that only you can join me in deciding the great affairs of the world."
Overjoyed, Fu Jian bestowed five hundred bolts of silk upon Murong Chui as an imperial gift.
In 383 AD, the stubborn Fu Jian personally led a massive army of 900,000 troops to attack the Eastern Jin Dynasty, only to suffer a crushing defeat at the Battle of Fei River and flee back to Luoyang in disgrace. As tribal leaders seized the opportunity to rebel and declare independence, Fu Jian's situation grew increasingly dire, and in 385 AD, he was killed by the Qiang chieftain.
The idiom "throwing whips to block the river" comes from this history. Originally Fu Jian's boastful exaggeration, it later came to describe a massive army with overwhelming force.
Source: *Book of Jin*, "Records of Fu Jian"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "投鞭断流" came to describe a massive army with overwhelming force.