后发制人 counterattack
Explanation
指在对方行动之后，抓住有利时机，给予反击，制服对方。强调的是在时机上占据主动，而不是单纯的被动防御。
To seize a favorable opportunity to counterattack after the opponent has acted. It emphasizes seizing the initiative in timing, rather than simply passive defense.
Origin Story
话说三国时期，蜀汉丞相诸葛亮率军北伐，与魏国名将司马懿在五丈原对峙。司马懿深知诸葛亮的才智和军事谋略，采取了坚壁清野的策略，不与蜀军正面交锋。诸葛亮屡次用计，司马懿都未上当。诸葛亮耗费粮草，身心俱疲，最终病逝军中。看似司马懿被动防守，实则他洞悉诸葛亮战略意图，以静制动，后发制人，最终以最小代价取得了胜利。这便是后发制人的经典案例，体现了在军事斗争中，审时度势，选择最佳时机反击的重要性。
During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang, the chancellor of Shu Han, led his troops on a northern expedition and confronted Sima Yi, a famous general of Wei, at Wuzhangyuan. Sima Yi, knowing Zhuge Liang's intelligence and military strategies, adopted a scorched-earth policy, avoiding direct conflict with the Shu army. Zhuge Liang repeatedly used strategies, but Sima Yi never fell for them. Zhuge Liang exhausted his supplies and became physically and mentally exhausted, eventually dying in the army. It seemed that Sima Yi was passively defending, but in fact, he understood Zhuge Liang's strategic intentions, using calmness to control, and counterattacked, ultimately achieving victory with minimal cost. This is a classic example of counterattacking, reflecting the importance of judging the situation and choosing the best time to counterattack in military struggles.
Usage
用于军事、商业等竞争领域，形容以静制动，伺机反击的策略。
Used in military, business and other competitive fields to describe the strategy of keeping calm, waiting for the opportunity, and then counterattacking.
Examples
-
面对强敌，我们应该沉着应对，后发制人。
miàn duì qiáng dí, wǒmen yīnggāi chénzhuó yìngduì, hòu fā zhì rén
Facing a strong enemy, we should remain calm and counterattack.
-
商场竞争激烈，只有善于把握时机，后发制人才能取得成功。
shāng chǎng jìngzhēng jīliè, zhǐyǒu shàn yú bǎwò shíjī, hòu fā zhì rén cái néng qǔdé chénggōng
The market competition is fierce, only by seizing the opportunity, we can succeed by counterattacking.