📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a strategy of seizing the enemy's vital points and attacking where they are most vulnerable. It advocates striking at key weaknesses rather than engaging in direct confrontation. The metaphor conveys exploiting gaps to force the opponent into an untenable position.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the 'Records of the Grand Historian' (史记), in the biography of Sunzi and Wu Qi. It describes how a person intervening in a fight need not grapple with weapons directly; instead, one strikes the adversary's throat and attacks the weak points, so that the situation constrains itself and the conflict resolves naturally. The passage illustrates Sun Bin's strategic philosophy of avoiding frontal clashes and exploiting the enemy's vulnerabilities.
💡 Example Usage
在这场商战中，他采取批亢捣虚的策略，直击对手的薄弱环节。
In this business war, he adopted the strategy of striking the enemy's vital points and exploiting their weaknesses, hitting his opponent's most vulnerable areas.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 批亢捣虚
- Pinyin: pī gàng dǎo xū
- Literal Translation: strike the throat, attack the weak point
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4