zòng纵hǔ虎guī归shān山
To let a dangerous person or thing go free, thereby creating future trouble; to allow an enemy to escape and pose a threat later.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
During the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Bei, finding himself in a difficult situation, sought refuge with Cao Cao.
Cao Cao's strategist, Cheng Yu, knew that Liu Bei was no ordinary person and advised Cao Cao to eliminate him as soon as possible.
To allay Cao Cao's suspicions, Liu Bei pretended to be interested only in gardening and not in politics.
After Cao Cao defeated Lu Bu, Liu Bei requested to lead troops to attack Yuan Shu. Cao Cao granted him 50,000 soldiers.
Liu Bei then left Cao Cao and established his own banner.