望风披靡 wàng fēng pī mǐ To be routed at the sight of the enemy

Explanation

这个成语形容军队在没有交战的情况下就溃散了，形容军队毫无斗志，不堪一击。

This idiom describes an army that disintegrates without fighting, signifying a lack of fighting spirit and inability to resist.

Origin Story

战国时期，秦国军队攻打赵国。赵国将军廉颇率领军队坚守城池，秦军久攻不下。秦王听说廉颇善于防御，便派使者去散布谣言，说廉颇已经老了，不能打仗了，赵王也信以为真，就撤换了廉颇，任命赵括为新的主帅。赵括读兵书，熟读兵法，却缺乏实战经验。他一上任就改变了廉颇的防御策略，主动出击，结果中了秦军反包围，最后全军覆没。赵括本人也战死沙场，这就是历史上的“长平之战”。赵括的失败，正是“望风披靡”的典型例子。他缺乏实战经验，被秦军强大的气势所震慑，没有发挥出赵军的实力，最终导致全军覆没。

zhàn guó shí qī, qín guó jūn duì gōng dá zhào guó. zhào guó jiāng jūn lián pó shuài lǐng jūn duì jiān shǒu chéng chí, qín jūn jiǔ gōng bù xià. qín wáng tīng shuō lián pó shàn yú fáng yù, biàn pài shǐ zhě qù sàn bù yáo yán, shuō lián pó yǐ jīng lǎo le, bù néng dǎ zhàng le, zhào wáng yě xìn wéi zhēn, jiù chè huàn le lián pó, rèn mìng zhào kuò wéi xīn de zhǔ shuài. zhào kuò dú bīng shū, shú dú bīng fǎ, què quē fá shí zhàn jīng yàn. tā yī shàng rèn jiù gǎi biàn le lián pó de fáng yù cè lüè, zhǔ dòng chū jī, jié guǒ zhòng le qín jūn fǎn bāo wéi, zuì jūng quán jūn fù mò. zhào kuò běn rén yě zhàn sǐ shā chǎng, jiù shì lì shǐ shàng de “cháng píng zhī zhàn”. zhào kuò de shī bài, zhèng shì “wàng fēng pī mǐ” de diǎn xíng lì zi. tā quē fá shí zhàn jīng yàn, bèi qín jūn qiáng dà de qì shì suǒ zhèn shè, méi yǒu fā huī chū zhào jūn de shí lì, zuì zhōng dǎo zhì quán jūn fù mò.

During the Warring States period, the Qin army attacked the state of Zhao. General Lian Po of the Zhao state led his troops to defend the city, and the Qin army was unable to capture it for a long time. The King of Qin heard that Lian Po was good at defense, so he sent a messenger to spread rumors that Lian Po was old and could not fight. The King of Zhao believed the rumor and replaced Lian Po with Zhao Kuo as the new commander-in-chief. Zhao Kuo had studied military books and was familiar with military strategy, but he lacked practical experience. As soon as he took office, he changed Lian Po's defensive strategy and took the initiative to attack. However, this resulted in him being surrounded by the Qin army, and eventually his entire army was wiped out. Zhao Kuo himself died on the battlefield. This is the famous Battle of Changping. Zhao Kuo's defeat is a typical example of “Wàng Fēng Pī Mǐ”. He lacked practical experience and was intimidated by the might of the Qin army. He was unable to unleash the power of the Zhao army, ultimately leading to the complete annihilation of his army.

Usage

形容军队不堪一击，形容毫无斗志，看到对方强大就溃散了。

xíng róng jūn duì bù kān yī jī, xíng róng hú wú dòu zhì, kàn dào duì fāng qiáng dà jiù kuì sàn le.

To describe an army that is unable to fight back, lacks fighting spirit, and collapses at the sight of a powerful opponent.

Examples

• 面对强大的敌军，他们望风披靡，毫无抵抗之力。

  miàn duì qiáng dà de dí jūn, tā men wàng fēng pī mǐ, hú wú dǐ kàng zhī lì.

  Faced with a powerful enemy, they were routed without putting up any resistance.

• 敌军势如破竹，我军望风披靡，节节败退。

  dí jūn shì rú pò zhú, wǒ jūn wàng fēng pī mǐ, jié jié bài tuì.

  The enemy army was unstoppable, and our troops were defeated and retreated.

Related Idioms

• 望风而逃

• 一触即溃

Opposite Idioms

• 所向披靡

• 锐不可当