"Mid-stream oath" refers to the matter of Zu Ti in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Zu Ti Biography of the Book of Jin: "If you don't know the Central Plains, help others, Zu Ti is like a great river!" ? Zu Ti tapped the paddle with his hand and swore to everyone: "If Zu Ti arrives here, if he can't pacify the Central Plains and expel the enemy, it will be like this stormy river, which will never return!" -metaphor determined to make progress, if you can't do it. ? -Zu Ti Another well-known allusion is "Smelling chickens dancing".