pursue fleeing defeated troops
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
to pursue and attack fleeing defeated troops; to chase down the routed enemy
literaryThis idiom originates from classical Chinese military terminology. '亡' (wáng) refers to fleeing soldiers, while '北' (běi) literally means 'back' or 'turned back,' describing defeated troops who turn their backs to flee. The variant form 追奔逐北 (zhuī bēn zhú běi) also exists, using 奔 (bēn, 'fleeing') instead of 亡. The phrase conveys the idea of pressing the advantage after victory to eliminate remaining enemy forces completely.
Xiang Yu led his troops in pursuit of the fleeing Qin army, inflicting a crushing defeat.
The Han army pressed their advantage in pursuit of the defeated enemy, with a million corpses strewn across the battlefield.
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The art of war values pursuing fleeing enemies; one must not let the enemy escape back to their mountain stronghold.