以夷制夷 using barbarians to control barbarians
Explanation
利用外族或敌对势力之间的矛盾，让他们互相残杀，以达到削弱敌人的目的。
Using the contradictions between ethnic groups or hostile forces to make them kill each other in order to weaken the enemy.
Origin Story
战国时期，诸侯国之间战乱不断，各国为了争夺地盘和资源，常常互相攻伐。秦国国力强盛，为了削弱其他诸侯国的实力，采取了“以夷制夷”的策略。秦国与一些少数民族结盟，利用他们攻打其他诸侯国，从而减轻了秦国自身的压力。这些少数民族虽然也得到了好处，但也逐渐被秦国所控制，最终为秦国的统一埋下了伏笔。
During the Warring States period, there were constant wars between the vassal states, and countries often attacked each other to compete for land and resources. The Qin state, with its powerful military, adopted a strategy of "using barbarians to control barbarians" to weaken other vassal states. They allied with some minority groups, using them to attack other states and thus reducing pressure on Qin. While these minority groups benefited, they were gradually brought under Qin's control, ultimately paving the way for Qin's unification of China.
Usage
主要用于形容利用外部力量来对付敌人的策略。
Mainly used to describe the strategy of using external forces to deal with the enemy.
Examples
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为了对抗强大的对手，他们决定采取以夷制夷的策略。
wèile duìkàng qiángdà de duìshǒu, tāmen juédìng cǎiqǔ yǐ yí zhì yí de cèlüè.
In order to deal with powerful opponents, they decided to adopt the strategy of using barbarians to control barbarians.
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历史上，很多王朝都曾使用过以夷制夷的策略来巩固统治。
lìshǐ shàng, hěn duō wángcháo dōu céng shǐyòng guò yǐ yí zhì yí de cèlüè lái gùngù tǒngzhì
Historically, many dynasties have used the strategy of using barbarians to control barbarians to consolidate their rule.