in war, nothing is too deceitful; all's fair in war
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
in war, nothing is too deceitful; all strategies, including deception, are permissible
literaryOriginally from the classic text 'Han Feizi'. It is used not only literally for military strategy but also metaphorically in competitive situations like business, politics, or games, justifying the use of clever tricks and deception to achieve one's goal.
Shāng商
chǎng场
rú如
zhàn战
chǎng场
，
bīng兵
bù不
yàn厌
zhà诈
，
shì适
dàng当
de的
shāng商
yè业
cè策
lvè略
shì是
bì必
yào要
de的
。
Business is like war; all's fair in love and war, and appropriate business tactics are necessary.
Zhè这
wèi位
jiāng将
jūn军
shēn深
ān谙
bīng兵
bù不
yàn厌
zhà诈
de的
dào道
lǐ理
，
jīng经
cháng常
chū出
qí奇
zhì制
shèng胜
。
This general understood the principle that all is fair in war and often achieved victory through surprise tactics.
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Zài在
qí棋
jú局
zhōng中
，
tā他
yùn运
yòng用
bīng兵
bù不
yàn厌
zhà诈
de的
cè策
lvè略
，
shè设
xià下
quān圈
tào套
jī击
bài败
le了
duì对
shǒu手
。
In the chess game, he employed the strategy that all's fair in war, setting a trap to defeat his opponent.