过关斩将
What does 过关斩将 mean?
Pass through every gate, defeat every guard — overcome all obstacles by determination and honour
比喻一路克服重重困难，战胜一个又一个阻碍，最终完成目标。
Historical origin
This idiom comes from the story of Guan Yu, a general of the Three Kingdoms era, riding alone through enemy territory to find his sworn brother Liu Bei. After learning Liu Bei was alive, Guan Yu bid farewell to Cao Cao, mounted his Red Hare horse, and fought his way through five fortified mountain passes — defeating five generals — until he finally reunited with Liu Bei and Zhang Fei.
How do you use 过关斩将 in a sentence?
With hard work and courage, our team passed every challenge and finally won the robotics competition.
靠着努力和勇气，我们的团队闯过一道道难关，最后赢得了机器人比赛，真是过关斩将。
Common mistake
A common mistake is using this idiom for something easy or ordinary, like finishing simple homework. It should be used for overcoming many difficult obstacles, not for small everyday tasks.
一个常见错误是把这个成语用在很轻松、很普通的事情上，比如写完简单作业。它应该用来形容克服很多困难和阻碍，而不是日常小事。
The illustrated storybook
智慧典故系列 · Wisdom Series · Tales of China