以夷治夷 — “To play off one group against another”
以夷治夷 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to play off one group against another”. To use one faction to control another by exploiting their internal conflicts or divisions. Literally, “use barbarians to govern barbarians”.
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以夷治夷 Pronunciation and Pinyin
以夷治夷 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 以夷治夷
公司管理层有时会采取'以夷治夷'的策略，让不同部门之间形成健康的竞争，从而激发整体效率
The company's management sometimes adopts the strategy of 'using one to control another,' allowing healthy competition to form among different departments, thereby stimulating overall efficiency.
Idioms Related to 以夷治夷
Synonyms of 以夷治夷
More idioms starting with 以
- yǐ以yī一jǐng儆bǎi百punish one to warn many
- yǐ以yī一fèng奉bǎi百one producer supports a hundred consumers
- yǐ以yī一dāng当shí十fight with the strength of ten men
- yǐ以yī一dāng当bǎi百one person effective as a hundred
- yǐ以yī一chí持wàn万Grasp key to control the whole
- yǐ以yī一zhī知wàn万infer many from one
- yǐ以yī一jǐng警bǎi百punish one to warn many
- yǐ以yī一yù驭wàn万Control many by grasping the fundamental
- yǐ以bù不biàn变yìng应wàn万biàn变respond to change with no change
- yǐ以fǒu不jì济kě可help succeed by negating incorrect ideas
- yǐ以fēng丰bǔ补qiàn歉save in times of plenty for scarcity
- yǐ以wéi为kǒu口shí实provide material for criticism
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Open the tool →Questions about 以夷治夷
What does 以夷治夷 mean?
以夷治夷 (yǐ yí zhì yí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to play off one group against another”.
How do you pronounce 以夷治夷?
以夷治夷 is pronounced yǐ yí zhì yí in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 以夷治夷 literally mean?
Literally, 以夷治夷 means “use barbarians to govern barbarians”. It is used to mean “to play off one group against another”.
What is the Chinese definition of 以夷治夷?
利用外族或外国之间的矛盾，使其互相冲突，削减力量，以便控制或攻伐。