📖 Meaning
Literally meaning weapons need not be stained, this idiom describes achieving victory without actual combat. It emphasizes winning easily and effortlessly through superior power, strategy, or moral authority rather than through bloodshed.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from a memorial titled 'On Capturing Rebels and Rewarding Merit' (论捕贼行赏表) by the renowned Tang Dynasty scholar-official Han Yu (韩愈). In the text, Han Yu praised the emperor's awe-inspiring virtue and military might, noting that the six prefectures including Weibo were recovered without staining any blades—meaning the territories were reclaimed without battle. The expression is a variant of the older idiom 兵不血刃, both conveying the same idea of bloodless victory.
💡 Example Usage
将军威名远播，敌军闻风丧胆，兵不污刃便收复了失地。
The general's reputation spread far and wide; the enemy troops were terrified at the mere news, and the lost territory was recovered without a single blade being stained.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 兵不污刃
- Pinyin: bīng bù wū rèn
- Literal Translation: soldiers, not, stain, blade
- Category: Success
- Characters: 4