Let the Enemy Go to Capture Him Later

Sānguó shíqī, Shǔguó chéngxiàng Zhūgě Liàng qīnzì shuàijūn nán zhēng, yào píngdìng nánfāng gè bù de pànluàn.

During the Three Kingdoms period, the Shu chancellor Zhuge Liang personally led an army on a southern campaign to pacify the rebellion of the southern tribes.

Pànjūn de shǒulǐng míng jiào Mèng Huò, tā zuòzhàn yǒngměng, zài nánfāng gè zú zhōng hěn yǒu wēiwàng.

The rebel leader was named Meng Huo; he fought bravely and was highly respected among the southern tribes.

Zhūgě Liàng shēn zhī, dān kào wǔlì dǎbài Mèng Huò róngyì, yào xiǎng ràng tā zhēnxīn guīshùn què hěn nán.

Zhuge Liang knew well that defeating Meng Huo by force was the easy part; winning his true submission would be hard.

Yúshì tā dìng xià “yù qín gù zòng” zhī jì: xiān bǎ Mèng Huò zhuā zhù, zài gùyì bǎ tā fàng zǒu, rúcǐ fǎnfù.

So he devised the plan of "letting go in order to capture": he would first catch Meng Huo, then deliberately release him, and repeat this.

Liǎng jūn yì jiāofēng, Mèng Huò guǒrán zhòng jì bèi qín, bèi yā dào le Zhūgě Liàng zhàng qián.

As soon as the two armies clashed, Meng Huo fell into the trap and was captured, then brought before Zhuge Liang's tent.

Zhūgě Liàng fēidàn méiyǒu chǔfá tā, fǎn'ér yǐ lǐ xiāng dài, hái qǐng tā cānguān Hànjūn yíngzhài, zhīhòu biàn bǎ tā fàng huí.

Instead of punishing Meng Huo, Zhuge Liang treated him with courtesy, even invited him to tour the Han camp, and then let him go.

Mèng Huò xīn zhōng bù fú, shēngchēng bùguò shì zhòng le máifú, xià cì bì shèng; Zhūgě Liàng xiào zhe dāying ràng tā zài lái.

Unconvinced, Meng Huo claimed he had merely fallen into an ambush and would surely win next time; Zhuge Liang smilingly agreed and let him try again.

Jiù zhèyàng, Zhūgě Liàng yì lián “qī qín qī zòng” —— zhuā zhù qī cì, yòu fàng zǒu qī cì.

And so Zhuge Liang "captured and released seven times"—catching Meng Huo seven times and releasing him seven times.

Dào le dì qī cì, Mèng Huò zhōngyú shēn shòu gǎndòng, hán lèi shuō dào: “Chéngxiàng tiān wēi, nán rén bù zài fǎn le!”

By the seventh time, Meng Huo was deeply moved; with tears he said, "The chancellor's might is heaven-sent; we southerners will rebel no more!"

Cóngcǐ Mèng Huò zhēnxīn guīshùn, nánfāng āndìng duō nián, Shǔguó déyǐ zhuānxīn běifá.

From then on Meng Huo submitted sincerely, the south stayed at peace for many years, and Shu could focus on its northern campaigns.

Zhè jiùshì “yù qín gù zòng” —— xiǎng yào zhuā zhù duìfāng, fǎn'ér xiān fàngsōng yí bù, ràng tā fàng xià jièxīn, xīnyuè-chéngfú.

This is "letting go in order to capture": when you want to win someone over, you first give ground, letting them lower their guard and submit wholeheartedly.

Bǐrú tán shēngyi shí, yuè shì bù bù jǐn bī, duìfāng yuè shì kàngjù; shìdàng ràng chū yìxiē kōngjiān, duìfāng fǎn'ér gèng yuànyì yǔ nǐ hézuò.

For example, in a negotiation, the harder you press, the more the other side resists; give them a little space, and they become more willing to cooperate.