先礼后兵 — “Courtesy first, then force”
先礼后兵 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to try peaceful or polite means of negotiation first before resorting to forceful or coercive measures”. Literally, “Courtesy first, then force”.
先礼后兵 Pronunciation and Pinyin
先礼后兵 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 先礼后兵
Origin and Story of 先礼后兵
After Cao Cao became influential, he sent people to Langya to bring his father, Cao Song. When Cao Song passed through Tao Qian's territory, Tao Qian hosted him and dispatched Zhang He with troops to escort him.
On the night of the escort, they lodged in an ancient temple. Zhang He and his soldiers slept outside for protection. Coincidentally, it rained, and the soldiers grumbled, developing a desire to plunder the Cao family's baggage. As a result, Cao Song was killed.
Cao Cao believed Tao Qian condoned his subordinates' murder of his father and wanted to avenge his father's death, so he raised an army to attack.
Tao Qian, having limited power, sought help from Kong Rong. However, Kong Rong couldn't save him and was also besieged. Tai Shici, a subordinate of Kong Rong, bravely fought his way out of the city alone to seek Liu Bei's rescue.
Liu Bei then went to Gongsun Zan, borrowed 3,000 soldiers, and came to save Kong Rong. Upon hearing this, Cao Cao was furious and intended to attack Liu Bei.
Cao Cao's strategist Guo Jia said, 'Liu Bei has come from afar to provide assistance, showing 'courtesy first, then force.' Your highness should respond with kind words to put Liu Bei at ease, and then advance to attack the city; the city can be taken.'
Idioms Related to 先礼后兵
Synonyms of 先礼后兵
More idioms starting with 先
- xiān先xià下shǒu手wéi为qiáng强strike first to gain the upper hand
- xiān先xià下shǒu手wéi为qiáng强，，hòu后xià下shǒu手zāo遭yāng殃First to act gains advantage
- xiān先wèi为zhī之róng容Introduce or publicize someone beforehand
- xiān先shì事lǜ虑shì事plan and think ahead
- xiān先rén人hòu后jǐ己put others before oneself
- xiān先rén人duó夺rén人Preemptively win over others
- xiān先rù入wéi为zhǔ主First impressions dominate judgment
- xiān先rù入zhī之jiàn见preconceived notion
- xiān先gōng公hòu后sī私prioritize public over private interest
- xiān先wù务zhī之jí急most urgent task
- xiān先jí即zhì制rén人gain the initiative and control the situation
- xiān先fā发zhì制rén人Strike first to gain control
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Open the tool →Questions about 先礼后兵
What does 先礼后兵 mean?
先礼后兵 (xiān lǐ hòu bīng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to try peaceful or polite means of negotiation first before resorting to forceful or coercive measures”.
How do you pronounce 先礼后兵?
先礼后兵 is pronounced xiān lǐ hòu bīng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 先礼后兵 literally mean?
Literally, 先礼后兵 means “Courtesy first, then force”. It is used to mean “to try peaceful or polite means of negotiation first before resorting to forceful or coercive measures”.
Where does 先礼后兵 come from?
先礼后兵 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 先礼后兵?
礼：礼貌；兵：武力。先按通常的礼节同对方交涉，如果行不能，再用武力或其他强硬手段解决。