有隙可乘 yǒu xì kě chéng There is a gap to be exploited

Explanation

比喻事情有漏洞可以乘机利用。

It means that there is a loophole that can be exploited.

Origin Story

战国时期，秦国攻打韩魏等国，屡战屡胜。秦王得意洋洋，以为天下很快就会统一。然而，他却不知道，韩魏两国正暗中联合，准备给他致命一击。一天，秦国军队驻扎在函谷关外，准备攻打韩国。这时，一位名叫张良的谋士向韩王献计：“秦国军队虽然强大，但他们长期征战，士兵疲惫不堪，而且远离后方，补给困难。如果我们能够抓住这个机会，集中力量，从侧面袭击他们，就能打败他们。”韩王采纳了他的建议，韩魏联军果然大败秦军。秦国这次失败，让他们明白了“有隙可乘”的道理。此后，秦国更加注重情报收集，提高军队警惕性。

zhànguó shíqī, qín guó gōngdǎ hán wèi děng guó, lǚ zhàn lǚ shèng. qín wáng déyì yángyáng, yǐwéi tiānxià hěn kuài jiù huì tǒngyī. rán'ér, tā què bù zhīdào, hán wèi liǎng guó zhèng ànzhōng liánhé, zhǔnbèi gěi tā zhì mìng yī jī. yī tiān, qín guó jūnduī zhùzhā zài hángu gū wài, zhǔnbèi gōngdǎ hán guó. zhè shí, yī wèi míng jiào zhāng liáng de móushì xiàng hán wáng xiànjì： “qín guó jūnduī suīrán qiángdà, dàn tāmen chángqī zhēngzhàn, shìbīng píbèi bùkān, érqiě yuǎnlí hòufāng, bǔjǐ kùnnán. rúguǒ wǒmen nénggòu zhuā zhù zhège jīhuì, jízhōng lìliàng, cóng cèmiàn xíjī tāmen, jiù néng dǎbài tāmen.” hán wáng cǎinà le tā de jiànyì, hán wèi liánjūn guǒrán dà bài qín jūn. qín guó zhè cì shībài, ràng tāmen míngbái le “yǒu xì kě chéng” de dàolǐ. cǐ hòu, qín guó gèngjiā zhùzhòng qíngbào shōují, tígāo jūnduī jǐngtíxìng。

During the Warring States period, the Qin state repeatedly attacked the Han and Wei states, winning one victory after another. The king of Qin was very proud, believing that the country would soon be unified. However, he did not know that the Han and Wei states were secretly uniting, preparing to give him a fatal blow.One day, the Qin army stationed outside the Hangu Pass, preparing to attack the state of Han. At this time, a strategist named Zhang Liang offered a plan to the king of Han: “Although the Qin army is strong, they have been fighting for a long time, the soldiers are exhausted, and they are far from their rear base, which makes it difficult to supply them. If we can seize this opportunity, concentrate our strength, and attack them from the side, we can defeat them.” The king of Han adopted his suggestion, and the allied forces of Han and Wei indeed defeated the Qin army. This defeat made Qin understand the meaning of "yǒu xì kě chéng". Since then, the Qin state has paid more attention to intelligence gathering and improved the vigilance of its army.

Usage

主要用于比喻事情有弱点或漏洞，可以乘机利用。

zhǔyào yòng yú bǐyù shìqing yǒu ruòdiǎn huò lǒudòng, kěyǐ chéngjī lìyòng.

Mainly used to metaphorically express that something has weaknesses or loopholes that can be exploited.

Examples

• 敌军内部矛盾重重，我们只要抓住时机，便有隙可乘。

  díjūn nèibù máodùn chóngchóng, wǒmen zhǐyào zhuā zhù shíjī, biàn yǒu xì kě chéng. tánpàn guòchéng zhōng dāngfāng chūxiàn lǒudòng, wǒmen yīnggāi yǒu xì kě chéng, zhēngqǔ zuìdà lìyì。

  The enemy army is full of internal contradictions.As long as we seize the opportunity,we will have a chance to attack.

• 谈判过程中对方出现漏洞，我们应该有隙可乘，争取最大利益。

  During the negotiation, there were loopholes in the other party's argument, we should take advantage of this opportunity to strive for the maximum benefit.

Related Idioms

• 有机可乘

• 伺机而动

Opposite Idioms

• 无隙可乘