In the late years of the Qin Dynasty (qín cháo 秦朝,221 - 206BC), Xiang Yu ( xiàng yù 项羽) lauched a rebellion. After crossing the Zhang River (zhāng hé 漳河), Xiang Yu ordered his soldiers to sink all the boats and break their cooking pots. He distributed each soldier three days' rations and warned them that there was no way return; the only thing they could do to survive was to fight against the enemy. After nine furious war, the Qin army was finally defeated.This idiom is used to reveal one's strong determination to achieve one's goal at any cost.

秦朝末年，项羽发动了叛乱。在部队渡过漳河之后，项羽命令士兵把所有的船只都凿破，沉到河底。再把煮饭锅完全打碎。 项羽给每个人只发三天的粮食，然后再上战场。这样做，是为了向大家表示“宁死不退”的决心。果然，经过九次的激烈奋战，项羽的军队终于打败了秦国的军队。
后来，我们使用“破釜沉舟”比喻：下定决心，不达目的绝不罢休的精神。

破釜沉舟 ( pò fǔ chén zhōu )
【翻译】 Smashing the Cauldrons and Sinking the Boats.
【释义】 釜：锅。把饭锅打破，把渡船凿沉。比喻不留退路，非打胜仗不可，下决心不顾一切地
             干到底。
【例句】 现在我们已经破釜沉舟了，除了按计划前进外，别无选择。
【近义词】 自不量力、螳臂当车
【反义词】 义无反顾、背水一战