擒贼擒王 qín zéi qín wáng Capture the thief by capturing the king

Explanation

擒：捉拿；贼：坏人；王：首领。比喻要解决问题，先抓住主要矛盾。

Qín: capture; Zéi: thief; Wáng: leader. It’s a metaphor for solving problems by addressing the main contradiction first.

Origin Story

话说三国时期，蜀汉大将诸葛亮北伐曹魏，屡次与司马懿交锋。有一次，蜀军深入魏国境内，司马懿率领大军前来阻击。诸葛亮分析敌情，发现司马懿虽然兵力众多，但指挥能力一般，而他本人才是魏军的中枢，是魏军能否获胜的关键。于是，诸葛亮决定采取“擒贼擒王”的策略，命令精锐部队直捣司马懿大营，试图生擒司马懿。战斗异常激烈，蜀军突破重重防线，最终在司马懿大营附近与魏军主力展开决战。在关键时刻，赵云率领一支精兵，突破魏军的包围圈，直逼司马懿中军大帐。司马懿惊慌失措，仓皇逃窜，蜀军虽未能擒获司马懿，但此战大大打击了魏军士气，为蜀军最终取得胜利奠定了基础。

huà shuō sān guó shíqī, shǔ hàn dà jiàng zhū gě liàng běi fá cáo wèi, lǚ cì yǔ sī mǎ yì jiāo fēng. yǒu yī cì, shǔ jūn shēn rù wèi guó jìng nèi, sī mǎ yì shuài lǐng dà jūn lái qíng zǔ jī. zhū gě liàng fēn xī dí qíng, fā xiàn sī mǎ yì suī rán bīng lì zhòng duō, dàn zhǐ huī néng lì yī bān, ér tā běn rén cái shì wèi jūn de zhōng shū, shì wèi jūn néng fǒu huò shèng de guān jiàn. yú shì, zhū gě liàng jué dìng cǎi qǔ "qín zéi qín wáng" de cè lüè, mìng lìng jīng ruì bù duì zhí dǎo sī mǎ yì dà yíng, shì tú shēng qín sī mǎ yì. zhàn dòu yí cháng jī liè, shǔ jūn tuō pò chóng chóng fáng xiàn, zuì zhōng zài sī mǎ yì dà yíng fù jìn yǔ wèi jūn zhǔ lì zhǎn kāi jué zhàn. zài guān jiàn shí kē, zhào yún shuài lǐng yī zhī jīng bīng, tuō pò wèi jūn de bāo wéi quān, zhí bī sī mǎ yì zhōng jūn dà zhàng. sī mǎ yì jīng huāng shī cuò, cāng huáng táo cuàn, shǔ jūn suī wèi néng qín huò sī mǎ yì, dàn cǐ zhàn dà dà dǎ jī le wèi jūn shì qì, wèi shǔ jūn zuì zhōng qǔ dé shèng lì diàn dìng le jī chǔ.

During the Three Kingdoms period in China, Zhuge Liang, a Shu Han general, repeatedly clashed with Sima Yi during his northern campaign against Cao Wei. Once, the Shu army ventured deep into Wei territory, and Sima Yi led a large army to intercept them. Zhuge Liang analyzed the enemy situation and found that while Sima Yi had a large number of troops, his command ability was average, and he himself was the nerve center of the Wei army, the key to whether the Wei army could win. Therefore, Zhuge Liang decided to adopt the strategy of "capturing the thief by capturing the king", ordering elite troops to attack Sima Yi's camp directly and attempting to capture Sima Yi alive. The battle was extremely fierce. The Shu army broke through multiple lines of defense, and finally engaged in a decisive battle with the main force of the Wei army near Sima Yi's camp. At a critical moment, Zhao Yun led a contingent of elite soldiers to break through the Wei army's encirclement and approach Sima Yi's central tent directly. Sima Yi was panicked and fled in a hurry. Although the Shu army failed to capture Sima Yi, this battle greatly demoralized the Wei army, laying the foundation for the Shu army's ultimate victory.

Usage

作谓语、定语；比喻做事要抓住主要矛盾。

zuò wèiyǔ, dìngyǔ; bǐyù zuòshì yào zhuā zhù zhǔyào máodùn

Used as predicate and attributive; a metaphor for grasping the main contradictions in work.

Examples

• 与其一个一个地消灭敌人，不如先抓住敌人的首领。

  yǔ qí yīgè yīgè de xiāomiè dírén, bùrú xiān zhuā zhù dírén de shǒulǐng

  Instead of eliminating enemies one by one, it is better to capture the enemy leader first.

• 解决问题要抓住关键，不要被枝节问题所迷惑。

  jiějué wèntí yào zhuā zhù guānjiàn, bù yào bèi zhījié wèntí suǒ móhuì

  To solve the problem, we must grasp the key point and not be confused by the secondary problems

Related Idioms

• 攻其必救

• 各个击破

Opposite Idioms

• 顾此失彼

• 舍本逐末