势不可当

• Pinyin: shì bù kě dāng
• Hanzi breakdown: 势 = 执 + 力 (momentum); 不 (negation); 可 = 口 + 丁 (can, may); 当 = 彐 + 田 (withstand, equal to)

Meaning

Irresistible; unstoppable momentum. Describing a force, movement, or trend so powerful that it cannot be resisted or halted.

A four-character idiom (成语) expressing overwhelming force or momentum. Used for military advances, popular movements, technological change, market shifts, or any phenomenon whose forward drive brooks no opposition. It is always used with positive or neutral momentum — one does not typically use it for destructive forces one wishes to stop. Contrast: 力不从心 (the will is there but the strength is not), 强弩之末 (momentum spent, force exhausted).

Examples

1. 数字经济的崛起势不可当，传统零售、金融和媒体等行业正经历前所未有的结构性重塑，商业模式的迭代速度令人咋舌。 The rise of the digital economy is unstoppable. Traditional retail, finance, and media are undergoing unprecedented structural reshaping, and the pace of business-model iteration is staggering.
2. 这支球队在赛季后半段展现出势不可当的竞技状态，连续十场不败，最终以积分优势夺得联赛冠军头衔。 The team hit an unstoppable stride in the second half of the season, going unbeaten for ten straight matches and ultimately winning the league title with a points cushion.
3. 历史证明，一旦民众对自由与尊严的渴望积累到一定程度，这股势不可当的社会力量便难以被任何外部压制所长久遏制。 History shows that once people’s desire for freedom and dignity builds to a certain point, this unstoppable social force cannot be held back for long by any external suppression.

Usage Guide

Context: military, sports, social movements, economics, rhetoric

Tone: emphatic

Do Say

• 人工智能技术的普及浪潮势不可当，各行各业都必须以开放的心态拥抱这场技术变革，积极探索人机协作的最优模式，而非固守旧有工作范式。(The wave of artificial intelligence technology adoption is unstoppable; every industry must embrace this technological transformation with an open mind, actively exploring the optimal model of human-machine collaboration rather than clinging to old working paradigms.)
• 改革派候选人以势不可当之势赢得了选举，选民以压倒性的投票结果表达了对现状的不满和对深层次制度变革的强烈期待。(The reform candidate won the election with unstoppable momentum; voters expressed their dissatisfaction with the status quo and their strong expectation for deep institutional change through an overwhelming vote.)

Don't Say

• 势不可当 for negative, destructive forces one wishes to condemn or stop, e.g., a disease outbreak or a crime wave — it carries an admiring or at least neutral tone; for unstoppable negative phenomena use 难以遏制 or 愈演愈烈 instead

Origin & History

势 (momentum, force) + 不可 (cannot) + 当 (withstand, block) — 'the force cannot be withstood'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal