An Achilles' heel is a fatal weakness in overall strength that can lead to one's downfall or death.

In Greek mythology, Achilles was the greatest Greek warrior in the Trojan War. He was the son of Peleus, king of Thessaly and the goddess Thetis. When he was a baby, his mother submerged him in the River Styx to make him immortal, all except for the heel that she held to dip him into the waters.

Achilles fought many battles during the 10-year Trojan War and finally killed Memnon, the king of the Ethiopians. As Achilles led the Greeks to the walls of Troy, he died from a heel wound caused by an arrow shot by Paris, the prince of Troy.

阿喀琉斯之踵比喻致命的弱點(diǎn)。在希臘神話中，阿喀琉斯是色薩利密爾彌東人的國王珀琉斯和海中仙女忒提斯的兒子。在特洛伊戰(zhàn)爭中，他是阿伽門農(nóng)的軍隊(duì)中最偉大、最勇猛的戰(zhàn)士。阿喀琉斯一出生，她母親就捏著他的腳后跟，把他全身都浸入冥河水中，傳說冥河水可以讓人永生，故而阿喀琉斯周身獲得了保護(hù)，造就了一副刀槍不入的鋼鐵之軀，只有腳后跟除外。阿喀琉斯出征特洛伊，為希臘軍隊(duì)立下了巨大的功勛。后來特洛伊王子帕里斯得到神示，用毒箭射中阿喀琉斯的腳后跟，才使他喪命。