Pull Away the Ladder After Climbing Up

Sānguó shíqī, Jīngzhōu mù Liú Biǎo de hòuqī Càishì piān'ài zìjǐ qīnshēng de yòuzǐ Liú Cōng, chùchù páijǐ zhǎngzǐ Liú Qí.

During the Three Kingdoms period, Liu Biao, governor of Jingzhou, had a second wife, Lady Cai, who favored her own young son Liu Cong and slighted the eldest son Liu Qi at every turn.

Liú Qí xìngqíng wēnhé, bèihòu yòu méiyǒu yīkào, shíkè dānxīn Càishì yì zú huì móuhài zìjǐ.

Liu Qi was gentle by nature and had no powerful backing, so he lived in constant fear that the Cai clan would do away with him.

Càishì jiāzú shǒuwò bīngquán, Liú Qí jǐ cì xiǎng xiàng fùqīn qiúzhù, dōu bèi Càishì cóngzhōng zǔlán, chǔjìng yuè lái yuè xiǎn.

The Cai family held military power; whenever Liu Qi tried to seek his father's help, the Cais blocked him, and his situation grew ever more perilous.

Tā tīngshuō Liú Bèi de jūnshī Zhūgě Liàng zhìmóu guòrén, biàn xiǎngfāng-shèfǎ yào qǐngjiào yì tiáo zìbǎo zhī cè.

He heard that Liu Bei's strategist Zhuge Liang was a man of surpassing wisdom, and did all he could to seek from him a plan to save his own life.

Dàn Zhūgě Liàng wéirén jǐnshèn, bù yuàn juǎnrù Liú Biǎo de jiāshì, Liú Qí měi cì xiāng wèn, tā dōu hánxiào bù dá.

But Zhuge Liang was cautious by nature and unwilling to get involved in Liu Biao's family affairs; each time Liu Qi asked, he would only smile and give no answer.

Yúshì Liú Qí xiǎng chū yí ge bànfǎ: yāoqǐng Zhūgě Liàng dào zìjǐ hòuyuán de xiǎo lóu shàng, yìtóng guānshǎng yí bù gǔshū.

So Liu Qi devised a plan: he invited Zhuge Liang up to a small tower in his back garden, to look over an old book together.

Èr rén shàng lóu zhīhòu, tā qiāoqiāo ràng rén chèzǒu tīzi, zhè cái guì xià shuō: “Jīnrì shàng bù zhì tiān, xià bù zhì dì, huà chū jūn kǒu, rù yú wǒ ěr, qǐng wùbì xiāng gào.”

Once they were both upstairs, he quietly had the ladder taken away, then knelt and said: “Today we are neither up to heaven nor down to earth; what leaves your mouth enters only my ear—please, you must tell me.”

Zhūgě Liàng jiàn tuìlù yǐ duàn, yòu bèi tā de chéngyì dǎdòng, biàn jiànyì tā xiàofǎ Jìnguó gōngzǐ Chóng'ěr, zhǔdòng qǐngqiú wàifàng zhènshǒu Jiāngxià.

Seeing his retreat cut off and moved by his sincerity, Zhuge Liang advised him to follow the example of Chong'er, prince of Jin, and ask to be sent away to guard Jiangxia.

Liú Qí yī jì ér xíng, guǒrán yuǎnlíle shìfēi zhī dì, déyǐ bǎoquán xìngmìng —— zhè biàn shì “shàng-wū-chōu-tī” de yóulái.

Liu Qi followed the plan, left the seat of trouble behind, and saved his life—this is the origin of “climbing up and pulling away the ladder.”

Zhè tiáo jìcè de héxīn zàiyú: xiān bǎ rén yǐn shàng gāo chù, zài duàn qí tuìlù, ràng tā bùdé bù yī nǐ ér xíng.

The core of this stratagem is this: first lure someone to a high place, then cut off his way back, so he has no choice but to do as you wish.

Bǐrú tán shēngyi shí, xiān yǐ yōuhuì tiáojiàn xīyǐn duìfāng qiān xià yìxiàngshū, děng duìfāng tóurù dàliàng jīnglì, zài zuò xiàlái tán guānjiàn tiáokuǎn.

In a business deal, for instance, you might first draw the other side into signing a letter of intent with favorable terms, and only after they have invested a great deal of effort sit down to negotiate the key clauses.

Tā de zhìhuì tíxǐng wǒmen: shǐyòng cǐ jì xū bǎwò fēncùn, ruò bǎ rén bī dào juélù, fǎn'ér huì shīqù chángjiǔ de xìnrèn.

Its wisdom reminds us: use this stratagem with restraint; push someone into a dead end and you may lose their trust for good.