Loot a Burning House

Dōnghàn mònián, běifāng zuì qiáng de zhūhóu jiào Yuán Shào, bīng duō dì guǎng, shílì yìshí-wúliǎng.

At the end of the Eastern Han, the strongest warlord in the north was Yuan Shao, with many troops and vast lands, his power unmatched at the time.

Kěshì Yuán Shào zài Guāndǔ zhī zhàn zhōng shū gěi le Cáo Cāo, huíqù yòu qì yòu bìng, bùjiǔ jiù sǐ le.

But Yuan Shao lost to Cao Cao at the Battle of Guandu, and after returning home, angry and ill, he soon died.

Yuán Shào yì sǐ, tā de jǐ ge érzi wèile zhēng quán duó wèi, hùxiāng dǎ le qǐlái, Yuán jiā nèibù luàn chéng yì tuán.

As soon as Yuan Shao died, his sons turned on each other to seize power, and the Yuan family fell into chaos.

Zhè zhèng shì yì chǎng “dà huǒ”, Cáo Cāo kàn zài yǎn lǐ, juédìng chèn zhè ge jīhuì chūbīng.

This was exactly a “great fire”; Cao Cao saw it clearly and decided to seize the chance to march.

Tā xiān jiǎzhuāng hé tán, ràng Yuán jiā xiōngdì fàngsōng jǐngtì, hùxiāng zhījiān jìxù zhēngdòu.

He first pretended to negotiate peace, letting the Yuan brothers lower their guard and keep fighting each other.

Děng dào tāmen dǎ de jīnpí-lìjìn, liángcǎo hàojìn shí, Cáo Cāo cái qīn shuài dàjūn běi shàng.

Only when they were exhausted and their supplies spent did Cao Cao personally lead his army north.

Cáojūn yì lái, Yuán jiā xiōngdì gè huái xīnsi, wúfǎ liánshǒu, bèi dǎ de jiéjié-bàituì.

As soon as Cao's army arrived, the Yuan brothers, each scheming for himself, could not unite, and were beaten back step by step.

Méi guò duōjiǔ, Cáo Cāo jiù gōngxià le Yuán jiā de lǎocháo Yè chéng, Yuán jiā de shìlì tǔbēng-wǎjiě.

Before long Cao Cao took the Yuan family's stronghold, Ye City, and the Yuan power collapsed entirely.

Cáo Cāo chènzhe Yuán jiā “shī huǒ” de luàn jú, méi huā tài duō lìqi jiù ná xià le zhěnggè běifāng.

Taking advantage of the “fire” in the Yuan house, Cao Cao seized the whole north without too much effort.

Zhè jiùshì “chèn huǒ dǎ jié” —— dāng dírén xiànrù hùnluàn, wēijī shí, zhèng shì chūshǒu de zuì hǎo shíjī.

This is “loot a burning house”: when the enemy falls into chaos or crisis, that is the best moment to strike.

Bǐrú sàichǎng shàng, duìshǒu zhǔlì shòushāng, zhènjiǎo dà luàn shí, zhèng shì qiúduì fǎngōng défēn de hǎo jīhuì.

For example, in a match, when the opponent's star player is hurt and their formation falls apart, that's the perfect chance to counterattack and score.

Búguò zhè tiáo jì yě tíxǐng wǒmen: dāng biérén luònàn shí, yīnggāi shēnchū yuánshǒu, ér búshì chènjī zhàn piányi.

But this stratagem also reminds us: when others are in trouble, we should lend a helping hand, not grab an advantage.