待时而动 — “To wait for the right moment or opportunity to act”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 待时而动?

时：时机。等待时机然后行动。

待时而动 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to wait for the right moment or opportunity to act”. To hold back until the opportune time. Literally, “Wait for the time and then act”.

Frequency

待时而动 Pronunciation and Pinyin

待时而动 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
待	dài	9	wait, treat, or about to
时	shí	7	time, moment, or hour
而	ér	6	and, but, then
动	dòng	6	to move or act

Example Sentence with 待时而动

在市场不确定的时候，明智的投资者会选择待时而动，而不是盲目出手。

When the market is uncertain, a wise investor chooses to bide their time rather than act impulsively.

Origin and Story of 待时而动

Towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Dong Zhuo seized control of the government, bringing great harm to the land. Zhang Cheng, the commander of Yique, eagerly wished to lead his subordinates to execute Dong Zhuo.

However, his younger brother, Zhang Zhao, advised him not to 'strike a rock with an egg' (meaning to attempt the impossible), but instead to choose a wise lord and wait for the opportune moment to act.

Zhang Cheng found his brother's advice reasonable, so he resigned his official post and returned to his hometown. He then lived a simple and detached life with his elder brother Zhang Fan, taking refuge in Yangzhou.