📖 Meaning
To abuse military power and exhaust one's armed forces through endless warfare. It describes a ruler or state that recklessly wages war without regard for the toll on troops and resources. The phrase serves as a caution against militarism run amok.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom arises from classical Chinese political-military philosophy warning against the overextension of military campaigns. While no single textual origin is documented, the concept permeates ancient strategic thought, echoing sentiments found in works such as Sun Tzu's Art of War and the histories of various dynasties that collapsed from overreaching conquests. Chinese court historians repeatedly invoked the dangers of exhausting armies and depleting the populace through gratuitous warfare as a lesson for succeeding rulers.
💡 Example Usage
历代王朝因极武穷兵而走向衰亡的教训不可不察。
The lessons of past dynasties that declined and fell from waging endless wars must not be ignored.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 极武穷兵
- Pinyin: jí wǔ qióng bīng
- Literal Translation: exhaust martial, deplete soldiers
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4