草草收兵 Cǎo Cǎo Shōu Bīng hastily withdraw troops

Explanation

指不认真，不仔细，马虎地完成某件事。也指军队仓促撤退。

Refers to not being serious, careful, or careless in completing something. It also refers to the hasty retreat of troops.

Origin Story

话说三国时期，蜀汉丞相诸葛亮率军北伐，与魏军在五丈原激战。蜀军初战告捷，士气高涨。然而，魏军主帅司马懿老谋深算，坚壁清野，不与蜀军正面交锋，诸葛亮屡攻不下，粮草日渐匮乏。这时，诸葛亮发现魏军已经调集了大量援兵，形势危急。由于军中粮草不足，加上连续作战疲惫不堪，诸葛亮决定暂时撤军，避免更大的损失。然而，这次撤退并非战略性的，而是因为客观条件的限制，不得不仓促收兵。蜀军匆匆撤离，留下许多伤员和辎重，魏军乘机追击，造成蜀军不小的损失。虽然这次北伐最终未能取得决定性的胜利，但诸葛亮的战略部署和战术运用仍是古代军事史上的经典案例，后人评价诸葛亮“鞠躬尽瘁，死而后已” 。这次草草收兵，也为诸葛亮的军事生涯留下了一笔遗憾，也为后世留下了深刻的教训。

huà shuō sān guó shíqí, shǔ hàn chéng xiàng zhū gě liàng shuài jūn běi fá, yǔ wèi jūn zài wǔ zhàng yuán jī zhàn。shǔ jūn chū zhàn gào jié, shì qì gāo zhǎng。rán ér, wèi jūn zhǔ shuài sī mǎ yì lǎo móu shēn suàn, jiān bì qīng yě, bù yǔ shǔ jūn zhèng miàn jiāo fēng, zhū gě liàng lǚ gōng bù xià, liáng cǎo rì jiàn kuì fá。zhè shí, zhū gě liàng fā xiàn wèi jūn yǐ jīng diào jí le dà liàng yuán bīng, xíng shì wēi jí。yóuyú jūn zhōng liáng cǎo bù zú, jiā shang lián xù zuò zhàn pí bèi bù kān, zhū gě liàng jué dìng zàn shí chè jūn, bì miǎn gèng dà de sǔnshī。rán ér, zhè cì chè tuì bìng fēi zhàn lǜ xìng de, ér shì yīn wèi kè guān tiáo jiàn de xiàn zhì, bù dé bù cāng cù shōu bīng。shǔ jūn cōng cōng chè lí, liú xià xǔ duō shāng yuán hé zī zhòng, wèi jūn chéng jī zhuī jī, zào chéng shǔ jūn bù xiǎo de sǔnshī。suīrán zhè cì běi fá zuì zhōng wèi néng qǔ dé jué dìng xìng de shèng lì, dàn zhū gě liàng de zhàn lǜ bù shǔ hé zhàn shù yùnyòng réng shì gǔ dài jūn shì shǐ shàng de jīng diǎn àn lì, hòu rén píng jià zhū gě liàng“jū gōng jìn cuì, sǐ ér hòu yǐ”。zhè cì cǎo cǎo shōu bīng, yě wèi zhū gě liàng de jūn shì shēng yá liú xià le yī bǐ yí hàn, yě wèi hòu shì liú xià le shēn kè de jiào xùn。

During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang, the chancellor of Shu Han, led his troops north and fought a fierce battle with the Wei army at Wuzhangyuan. The Shu army won the first battle, and morale was high. However, Sima Yi, the commander-in-chief of the Wei army, was shrewd and adopted a scorched-earth policy, avoiding direct confrontation with the Shu army. Despite repeated attacks, Zhuge Liang could not achieve success, and supplies became increasingly scarce. At this time, Zhuge Liang found that the Wei army had gathered a large number of reinforcements, and the situation was critical. Due to the shortage of military supplies and exhaustion from continuous fighting, Zhuge Liang decided to temporarily withdraw his troops to avoid greater losses. However, this withdrawal was not strategic but was forced by objective conditions, leading to a hasty retreat. The Shu army hastily withdrew, leaving behind many wounded soldiers and supplies. The Wei army took advantage of this to pursue and inflict considerable losses on the Shu army. Although this northern expedition ultimately failed to achieve a decisive victory, Zhuge Liang's strategic deployment and tactical application remain a classic case in ancient military history. Later generations praised Zhuge Liang for "devoting himself wholeheartedly to the cause and dying only after the task was completed." This hasty retreat also left a regret in Zhuge Liang's military career and left a profound lesson for posterity.

Usage

常用作谓语、宾语；含贬义，指做事不认真，马虎。

cháng yòng zuò wèi yǔ, bīn yǔ；hán biǎn yì, zhǐ zuò shì bù rèn zhēn, mǎ hu。

Often used as a predicate or object; it has a derogatory meaning, referring to doing things carelessly and sloppily.

Examples

• 这次战役由于准备不足，草草收兵，损失惨重。

  zhè cì zhànyì yóuyú zhǔnbèi bù zú, cǎo cǎo shōu bīng, sǔnshī cǎnzhòng.

  This battle resulted in heavy losses due to insufficient preparation and hasty retreat.

• 他工作总是草草收兵，马虎了事，让人很不放心。

  tā gōngzuò zǒngshì cǎo cǎo shōu bīng, mǎhu liǎoshì, ràng rén hěn bù fàngxīn.

  He always does his work hastily and carelessly, which makes people very uneasy.

• 这次考试我复习不充分，草草收兵，导致成绩不理想。

  zhè cì kǎoshì wǒ fùxí bù chōngfèn, cǎo cǎo shōu bīng, dǎozhì chéngjī bù lǐxiǎng。

  I didn't prepare well for this exam and finished it hastily, resulting in unsatisfactory results.

Related Idioms

• 草率

• 敷衍

• 马虎

Opposite Idioms

• 慎重

• 细致

• 认真