Lure the Tiger off the Mountain

Chǔ-Hàn xiāngzhēng zhī shí, Hànjūn dàjiàng Hán Xìn fèngmìng gōngdǎ Qíguó.

During the Chu-Han contention, the Han general Han Xin was ordered to attack the state of Qi.

Qíguó xiàng Chǔguó qiújiù, Chǔ wáng Xiàng Yǔ biàn pài dàjiàng Lóng Jū shuàilǐng èrshí wàn dàjūn qiánqù jiùyuán.

Qi appealed to Chu for help, and the Chu king Xiang Yu sent the great general Long Ju at the head of a two-hundred-thousand-strong army to the rescue.

Lóng Jū bīngqiáng-mǎzhuàng, yòu zài Wéishuǐ dōng'àn zhā xià dàyíng píng xiǎn jùshǒu, Hànjūn yìshí nán yǐ zhèngmiàn qiánggōng.

Long Ju's troops were strong and well-mounted; moreover, he had camped on the east bank of the Wei River, holding a fortified position, so the Han army could not easily attack head-on.

Hán Xìn míngbai, qiánggōng yí zuò bīng jīng liáng zú de dàyíng wúyì yú yǐluǎn-jīshí, bìxū lìng xiǎng miàojì.

Han Xin understood that storming a well-supplied, strongly defended camp would be like throwing eggs at a stone; he had to devise another clever plan.

Tā juédìng “diào hǔ lí shān”, xiān shèfǎ bǎ Chǔjūn yǐn chū jiāngù de yíngzhài.

He decided to "lure the tiger off the mountain": first find a way to draw the Chu army out of its sturdy camp.

Hán Xìn ànzhōng pài rén yòng shādài zài shàngyóu dǔ zhù Wéishuǐ, shǐ héshuǐ biàn qiǎn, kěyǐ túbù shè guò.

Han Xin secretly sent men to dam the Wei River upstream with sandbags, making the water shallow enough to wade across.

Jiēzhe, tā yòu jiǎzhuāng dǎ bu guò, shuàilǐng Hànjūn dù guò hé hòu zhuǎnshēn jiù pǎo.

Then he feigned defeat: after leading the Han army across the river, he turned and fled.

Lóng Jū jiàn Hànjūn zhè bān “bùkān yí jī”, déyì-wàngxíng, lìkè xiàlìng quánjūn dù hé zhuījī.

Seeing the Han army so "unable to withstand a single blow," Long Ju grew smug and at once ordered his whole army to cross the river in pursuit.

Jiù zài Chǔjūn bàn dù zhī jì, Hán Xìn mìng rén bā kāi shādài, shàngyóu de héshuǐ qǐngkè xiōngyǒng ér xià, bǎ Chǔjūn jié chéng liǎng duàn.

Just as the Chu army was halfway across, Han Xin ordered the sandbags torn away; the upstream waters came surging down and cut the Chu army in two.

Líkāi yíngzhài, bèi kùn zài hé zhōng de Chǔjūn dùnshí luàn zuò yì tuán, Lóng Jū yě bèi Hànjūn zhǎnshā, èrshí wàn dàjūn qǐngkè wǎjiě.

Cut off from their camp and trapped in the river, the Chu troops fell into chaos; Long Ju was slain, and his two-hundred-thousand-strong army collapsed in an instant.

Zhè jiùshì “diào hǔ lí shān” —— xiǎng bànfǎ bǎ qiángdí yǐn lí tā zuì yǒulì de dìpán, zài yú bùlì de dìxíng yìjǔ jībài tā.

This is "luring the tiger off the mountain": finding a way to draw a strong foe away from its most favorable ground, then defeating it at a disadvantage.

Shēnghuó zhōng yě shì rúcǐ: gēn yí wèi gùzhi de zhǎngbèi dāngmiàn jiǎng lǐ chángcháng jiǎng bù tōng, bùrú xiān bǎ tā qǐng dào qīngsōng de chǎnghé, zài mànmàn gōutōng, shìqing fǎn'ér hǎo bàn de duō.

It is the same in everyday life: arguing head-on with a stubborn elder often gets nowhere; better to first invite them to a relaxed setting, then talk things through slowly—and the matter becomes much easier.