兵不厌诈 bīng bù yàn zhà In war, all is fair

Explanation

兵不厌诈是一个古老的兵法策略，意思是作战时可以运用各种方法，包括欺骗、伪装、调虎离山等，以达到胜利的目的。它反映了战争中的残酷性和复杂性，同时也提醒人们在竞争中要灵活应变，运用智慧和策略。

“Bing bu yan zha” is an ancient military strategy, meaning that all means can be used in war, including deception, camouflage, diversion, etc. to achieve victory. It reflects the brutality and complexity of war, but also reminds people to be flexible and adaptable in competition, using wisdom and strategy.

Origin Story

战国时期，赵国名将廉颇率军攻打魏国，魏王慌张失措，急忙派使者向齐国求救。齐王听说此事，就召集大臣们商议，大臣们都认为应该出兵援助魏国，因为魏国是齐国的重要盟友，如果魏国被灭，齐国也会受到威胁。但是，齐王却认为："现在赵国已经攻打魏国，魏国岌岌可危，我们如果出兵援助魏国，势必会与赵国发生冲突。赵国是强大的国家，我们实力不如赵国，与其正面冲突，不如用计谋来帮助魏国，这样既能保全自己，又能让赵国无功而返。"于是，齐王便派人去见赵王，对赵王说："听说赵王正在攻打魏国，我听说兵不厌诈，所以想出一个妙计，可以帮助赵王攻下魏国。"赵王十分高兴，就问齐王到底是什么计谋。齐王说："现在赵国攻打魏国，魏国已经处于守势，我们齐国可以派兵假装攻打赵国的边境，这样赵王就会担心后方，不得不撤兵回国，这样魏国就会安全了。"赵王听后，觉得这个计谋不错，就同意了齐王的建议。齐王于是派兵佯攻赵国边境，赵王果然信以为真，率军回国。魏国因此得以保全。这个故事告诉我们，在战争中，不能完全依靠武力，有时运用计谋，可以取得意想不到的效果。

zhàn guó shí qī, zhào guó míng jiàng lián pó shuài jūn gōng dǎ wèi guó, wèi wáng huāng zhāng shī cuò, jí zhōng pài shǐ zhě xiàng qí guó qiú jiù. qí wáng tīng shuō cǐ shì, jiù zhào jí dà chén men shāng yì, dà chén men dōu rèn wéi yīng gāi chū bīng yuán zhù wèi guó, yīn wèi wèi guó shì qí guó de zhòng yào méng yǒu, rú guǒ wèi guó bèi miè, qí guó yě huì shòu dào wēi xié. dàn shì, qí wáng què rèn wéi:"xiàn zài zhào guó yǐ jīng gōng dǎ wèi guó, wèi guó yǐ jī jī wēi, wǒ men rú guǒ chū bīng yuán zhù wèi guó, shì bì huì yǔ zhào guó fā shēng chōng tū. zhào guó shì qiáng dà de guó jiā, wǒ men shí lì bù rú zhào guó, yǔ qí zhèng miàn chōng tū, bù rú yòng jì móu lái bāng zhù wèi guó, zhè yàng jì néng bǎo quán zì jǐ, yòu néng ràng zhào guó wú gōng ér fǎn." yú shì, qí wáng biàn pài rén qù jiàn zhào wáng, duì zhào wáng shuō:"tīng shuō zhào wáng zhèng zài gōng dǎ wèi guó, wǒ tīng shuō bīng bù yàn zhà, suǒ yǐ xiǎng chū yī gè miào jì, kě yǐ bāng zhù zhào wáng gōng xià wèi guó." zhào wáng shí fēn gāo xìng, jiù wèn qí wáng dào dǐ shì shén me jì móu. qí wáng shuō:"xiàn zài zhào guó gōng dǎ wèi guó, wèi guó yǐ jīng chǔ yú shǒu shì, wǒ men qí guó kě yǐ pài bīng jiǎ zhuāng gōng dǎ zhào guó de biān jìng, zhè yàng zhào wáng jiù huì dān xīn hòu fāng, bù děi bù ché tuī bīng huí guó, zhè yàng wèi guó jiù huì ān quán le." zhào wáng tīng hòu, jué de zhè gè jì móu bù cuò, jiù tóng yì le qí wáng de jiàn yì. qí wáng yú shì pài bīng yáng gōng zhào guó biān jìng, zhào wáng guǒ rán xìn wéi zhēn, shuài jūn huí guó. wèi guó yīn cǐ dé yǐ bǎo quán. zhè gè gù shì gào sù wǒ men, zài zhàn zhēng zhōng, bù néng wán quán kào yī wǔ lì, yǒu shí yòng yùn jì móu, kě yǐ qǔ dé yì xiǎng bù dào de xiào guǒ.

During the Warring States Period in China, Lian Po, a famous general of the Zhao state, led his army to attack the Wei state. The Wei king was panicked and hurriedly sent an envoy to the Qi state for help. The Qi king, hearing this, summoned his ministers to discuss the matter. The ministers all believed that they should send troops to aid Wei, as Wei was an important ally of Qi, and its destruction would pose a threat to Qi. However, the Qi king believed: “Now that the Zhao state has attacked the Wei state, Wei is in a precarious situation. If we send troops to aid Wei, we will inevitably clash with Zhao. Zhao is a powerful state, and we are not as strong as them. Instead of confronting them head-on, we should use a strategy to help Wei. This way, we can protect ourselves and leave Zhao empty-handed.” Therefore, the Qi king sent a person to see the Zhao king and said to the Zhao king: “I heard that King Zhao is attacking the Wei state. I have heard that in war,

Usage

兵不厌诈，通常用于形容在战争或竞争中，为了取得胜利，可以采用各种手段，包括欺骗、伪装、策略等。

bīng bù yàn zhà, tóng cháng yòng yú xíng róng zài zhàn zhēng huò jìng zhēng zhōng, wèi le qǔ dé shèng lì, kě yǐ cǎi yòng gè zhòng shǒu duàn, bāo kuò qī piàn, wěi zhuāng, cè lüè děng.

“Bing bu yan zha” is often used to describe the use of all means, including deception, camouflage, strategy, etc. in order to achieve victory in war or competition.

Examples

• 在商战中，兵不厌诈，要善于运用策略，取得竞争优势。

  zài shāng zhàn zhōng, bīng bù yàn zhà, yào shàn yú yòng yùn cè lüè, qǔ dé jìng zhēng yōu shì.

  In business,

• 谈判桌上，兵不厌诈，要灵活应变，才能取得成功。

  tán pán zhuō shàng, bīng bù yàn zhà, yào líng huó yìng biàn, cái néng qǔ dé chéng gōng.

  all's fair in love and war

Related Idioms

• 智取

• 权谋

• 计谋

• 策略

Opposite Idioms

• 光明正大

• 坦诚相待