避其锐气，击其惰归 — “Avoid their sharp spirit, strike when they are weary and retreating”
避其锐气，击其惰归 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to avoid engaging an enemy or opponent when they are at their strongest and most spirited, choosing instead to attack when their morale is low or they are fatigued and retreating”. Literally, “Avoid their sharp spirit, strike when they are weary and retreating”.
避其锐气，击其惰归 Pronunciation and Pinyin
避其锐气，击其惰归 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 避其锐气，击其惰归
Origin and Story of 避其锐气，击其惰归
In 684 BC, the State of Qi, relying on its strength, attacked the State of Lu. Duke Zhuang of Lu led his army to confront them at Changshao.
When the two armies met, the Qi army beat their war drums. However, the Lu army, under the command of Cao Gui, did not beat their drums, choosing to avoid the enemy's initial fierce momentum.
By the third beating of the Qi army's drums, their morale had already dwindled, and only then did the Lu army beat their drums for the first time. The Lu army, relying on this surge of morale, defeated the Qi army despite being outnumbered.
Idioms Related to 避其锐气，击其惰归
Synonyms of 避其锐气，击其惰归
More idioms starting with 避
- bì避shì世qiáng墙dōng东live reclusively among ordinary people
- bì避shì世lí离sú俗shun the world and live in seclusion
- bì避shì世jué绝sú俗seclude oneself from the world
- bì避shì世jīn金mén门shun worldly affairs despite prominent role
- bì避shì世jīn金mǎ马withdraw from public life despite holding office
- bì避zhī之ruò若měi浼shun as if contaminated
- bì避jǐng井rù入kǎn坎escape one danger, fall into another
- bì避rén人yǎn眼mù目avoid observation
- bì避rén人ěr耳mù目avoid being seen or noticed
- bì避sú俗qū趋xīn新shun old customs, embrace new trends
- bì避qí其ruì锐qì气avoid the enemy's initial strong momentum
- bì避jūn军sān三shě舍keep at a respectful distance
Recommended tools
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →Questions about 避其锐气，击其惰归
What does 避其锐气，击其惰归 mean?
避其锐气，击其惰归 (bì qí ruì qì ， jī qí duò guī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to avoid engaging an enemy or opponent when they are at their strongest and most spirited, choosing instead to attack when their morale is low or they are fatigued and retreating”.
How do you pronounce 避其锐气，击其惰归?
避其锐气，击其惰归 is pronounced bì qí ruì qì ， jī qí duò guī in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 避其锐气，击其惰归 literally mean?
Literally, 避其锐气，击其惰归 means “Avoid their sharp spirit, strike when they are weary and retreating”. It is used to mean “to avoid engaging an enemy or opponent when they are at their strongest and most spirited, choosing instead to attack when their morale is low or they are fatigued and retreating”.
Where does 避其锐气，击其惰归 come from?
避其锐气，击其惰归 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 避其锐气，击其惰归?
其：他的；锐气：勇猛的气势；惰：松懈善于用兵之人，总是避开敌人初来时的气势，等敌人疲惫时再狠狠打击。