城下之盟 Treaty under the city walls
Explanation
指在敌方军队包围城市时，被迫签订的屈辱条约。比喻在危急关头，被迫接受不平等的条件。
Refers to a humiliating treaty that is forced to be signed when the enemy army besieges the city. It is a metaphor for accepting unequal conditions in a critical situation.
Origin Story
春秋时期，楚国大军攻打郑国都城，郑国城防坚固，楚军久攻不下。楚将屈瑕献计，连续两天派少量士兵佯攻，故意让郑军俘获，制造郑军虚弱的假象。第三天，楚军主力偷袭郑国，郑国毫无防备，被迫与楚国签订了城下之盟。这个盟约对郑国来说是屈辱的，但也避免了城破人亡的悲剧。
During the Spring and Autumn period, the large army of the Chu state attacked the capital city of the Zheng state. The Zheng state's defenses were strong, and the Chu army could not attack for a long time. General Qu Xia offered a plan to attack Zheng in turn with a small number of soldiers and deliberately let them be captured by Zheng, to create the illusion that Zheng was weak. On the third day, the main force of the Chu army secretly attacked Zheng. Zheng was completely unprepared and was forced to sign a treaty under the city walls with Chu. This treaty was humiliating for Zheng, but it also prevented a tragedy in which the city was conquered and people were killed.
Usage
多用于形容在军事或政治斗争中，一方实力弱小，被迫接受不平等条约的情况。
Mostly used to describe the situation where one party is weak in military or political struggles and is forced to accept unequal treaties.
Examples
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面对强敌，他们被迫签订了城下之盟。
miànduì qiángdí, tāmen bèipò qiāndìng le chéngxià zhī méng
Faced with a strong enemy, they were forced to sign a treaty under the city walls.
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经过激烈的谈判，双方最终达成了城下之盟。
jīngguò jīliè de tánpàn, shuāngfāng zhōngyú dáchéng le chéngxià zhī méng
After intense negotiations, both sides finally reached a treaty under the city walls.