拔旗易帜 — “To pull down another's flag and hoist one's own”

拔旗易帜 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to pull down another's flag and hoist one's own”. To take over control or leadership; to replace an existing power or system. Literally, “Pull down flags and change banners”.

Frequency

拔旗易帜 Pronunciation and Pinyin

拔旗易帜 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
拔	bá	8	pull out or uproot
旗	qí	14	flag, banner, or standard
易	yì	8	easy, change, or trade
帜	zhì	8	unique style or school of thought

Example Sentence with 拔旗易帜

经过几年的努力，这家新公司终于在市场上拔旗易帜，成为行业领跑者。

After several years of diligent effort, this new company finally pulled down the old banners and hoisted its own in the market, effectively taking over and becoming an industry leader.

Origin and Story of 拔旗易帜

In the early Western Han Dynasty, Han Xin led the Han army to attack the Zhao army. As they approached Jingxing Pass, Han Xin first selected 2,000 light cavalry, each carrying a red banner. They took a secret path and ambushed near the Zhao camp.

Next, the Han army formed a battle array with their backs to a river, luring the Zhao army out. The Zhao army poured out of their camp to attack. The Han army feigned defeat and retreated.

Meanwhile, the previously ambushed soldiers rushed into the empty Zhao camp and hoisted the red banners of the Han army. Seeing their camp filled with enemy flags, the Zhao army was thrown into disarray and suffered a crushing defeat.