缓兵之计 — “A delaying tactic or stratagem used to gain time”
缓兵之计 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a delaying tactic or stratagem used to gain time”. Postpone an opponent's action or attack, and allow for better preparation or finding a solution. Literally, “A strategy to delay troops; a delaying tactic”.
缓兵之计 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 缓huǎn
- 兵bīng
- 之zhī
- 计jì
缓兵之计 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 缓兵之计
Origin and Story of 缓兵之计
During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang (Kongming) and Sima Yi were engaged in battle at Qishan. The Shu army, led by Zhuge Liang, had successfully defeated Wei generals Guo Huai and Sun Li, subsequently capturing Wudu and Yangping. When Wei generals Zhang He and Dai Ling led reinforcements, they too were defeated by Zhuge Liang.
The two armies then settled into a stalemate for about half a month. Observing Sima Yi's reluctance to engage in direct combat, Zhuge Liang devised a clever stratagem.
He feigned a retreat, using this as a 'delaying tactic' to lure Sima Yi. Sima Yi, seeing what he thought was an opportunity, pursued Zhuge Liang's retreating forces and consequently fell into the trap, suffering a major defeat.
Idioms Related to 缓兵之计
Synonyms of 缓兵之计
Antonyms of 缓兵之计
More idioms starting with 缓
- huǎn缓bù不jì济jí急Too slow to meet urgent needs
- huǎn缓dài带qīng轻qiú裘relaxed, elegant, and refined scholarly demeanor
- huǎn缓jí急xiāng相jì济offer mutual aid in ordinary and urgent times
- huǎn缓jí急qīng轻zhòng重prioritize by urgency and importance
- huǎn缓gē歌màn慢wǔ舞gentle singing and graceful dancing
- huǎn缓gē歌màn缦wǔ舞gentle singing and graceful dancing
- huǎn缓bù步dài代chē车to walk leisurely instead of riding
- huǎn缓bù步dāng当chē车walk slowly, treating it as riding a vehicle
- huǎn缓pèi辔ér而xíng行walk slowly with loose reins
Questions about 缓兵之计
- What does 缓兵之计 mean?
- 缓兵之计 (huǎn bīng zhī jì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a delaying tactic or stratagem used to gain time”.
- How do you pronounce 缓兵之计?
- 缓兵之计 is pronounced huǎn bīng zhī jì in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 缓兵之计 literally mean?
- Literally, 缓兵之计 means “a strategy to delay troops; a delaying tactic”. It is used to mean “a delaying tactic or stratagem used to gain time”.
- Where does 缓兵之计 come from?
- 缓兵之计 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 缓兵之计?
- 延缓对方进攻的计策。指拖延时间，然后再想办法。