Chinese Idioms: To Win (Surrender, Lose) Without Fighting

Do you think winning a war without fighting is possible? Well, yes, in Chinese history there have been such cases.

The idiom Bu Zhan Er Sheng describes the same:

• 不战而胜 (bù zhàn ér shèng): Win without fighting; win without firing a single bullet

The idiom is taken from Sun Tzu’s Art of War:

• 孙子兵法 (sūn zǐ bīng fǎ): Sun Tzu’s Art of War

The antonym (反义词) of this idiom is Bu Zhan Er Xiang:

• 反义词 (fǎn yì cí): Antonym

• 不战而降 (bù zhàn ér xiáng): To surrender without fighting

You may note that 降 has two sounds and related meanings. In this idiom, it should be read as xiáng.

• 降 (jiàng): Fall; drop; descend
• 降 (xiáng): Surrender

Other related terms (近义词) worth knowing are:

• 近义词 (jìn yì cí): Words whose meaning is similar
• 不战而败 (bù zhàn ér bài): Lose without fighting