📖 Meaning
To follow the natural trend of developments and guide it advantageously toward a desired outcome. The idiom describes a wise approach of working with the momentum of a situation rather than against it, channeling it toward a constructive goal.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian) by Sima Qian, in the chapter on Sunzi and Wu Qi. During the Warring States period, the state of Wei attacked Han, and Qi sent generals Tian Ji and the strategist Sun Bin to the rescue. Sun Bin observed that Wei's troops, though victorious, had become arrogant and exhausted, so he advised feigning weakness by reducing the number of cooking fires each night to lure the enemy deeper. Quoting the principle that a skilled commander 'follows the momentum of the situation and guides it to advantage' (善战者因其势而利导之), he set an ambush at Maling and annihilated the Wei army, killing their commander Pang Juan.
💡 Example Usage
教育孩子要因势利导，尊重他们的兴趣，而不能一味强迫按大人的意愿做事。
When raising children, one should follow their natural inclinations and guide them accordingly, rather than simply forcing them to do whatever adults want.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 因势利导
- Pinyin: yīn shì lì dǎo
- Literal Translation: follow, trend, advantageously, guide
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4