strengthen the defences and clear the fields

strengthen the defences and clear the fields

Jianbi Qingye, a Chinese idiom, means a way to deal with the invasion of a strong enemy. So that the enemy can neither attack the stronghold nor seize materials. It comes from the biography of Xun Yu in the history of the Three Kingdoms.

The origin of Idioms

According to the biography of Xun Yu in the annals of the Three Kingdoms, Wei Zhi, it is said that "today the East has already harvested wheat, so it is necessary to strengthen the wall and clear the field for the enemy. If the general does not pull out the attack, if he does not gain the road, and if he does not leave ten days, then a hundred thousand people will be able to strengthen their ears without fighting."

Idioms and allusions

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao occupied Yanzhou after suppressing the Huangjin uprising army, and then moved eastward to capture Xuzhou. Zhang Miao, a powerful Yanzhou man, took the opportunity to collude with Lu Bu, a separatist force, to conquer most of Yanzhou and occupy Puyang, an important place. Cao Cao came back from Xuzhou and launched a counter attack against Lu Bu who was stationed in Puyang. Lu Bu was very fierce. The two sides had a stalemate for a long time, and Cao Cao couldn't win for a while. At this time, Tao Qian, the general of Xuzhou, died and gave up Xuzhou to Liu Bei. Cao Cao was even more anxious, so he decided to seize Xuzhou first and then come back to destroy Lu Bu. After hearing this, counselor Xun Yu came to dissuade him. He told Cao Cao: "when Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, fought for the world, he was the first to keep Guanzhong; when Liu Xiuping, the emperor of Guangwu, decided the world, he was the first to occupy Hanoi. In doing so, they are deeply rooted in the world. So although they also suffered some setbacks and failures, they won the final success because they didn't lose anything. In the same way, Yanzhou is fundamental to you. Although it is broken, it is easier to preserve its strength. As for Xuzhou, it is said that they have organized manpower to cut wheat outside the city and transport it into the city, which shows that they are ready for the possible battle. After the harvest, the other party must reinforce the fortifications and barracks, waiting for you to hit him. If you really send troops to attack Xuzhou now, you will not be able to conquer it and plunder it. Within ten days, the whole army will collapse without fighting. After weighing the pros and cons, I think it's better not to fight Xuzhou first. Please consider it carefully, general. " After hearing Xun's advice, Cao Cao thought it was very reasonable, so he canceled the plan to attack Xuzhou and concentrated on fighting with Lu Bu. Soon, Cao Cao defeated Lu Bu and brought down Yanzhou.

Idiom usage

It is used in military affairs. You are not allowed to go to war, but you should be firm in the wall and clear in the wild. You can only chase the bandit when you try your best to relax. (Chapter 21 of the water margin by Chen Chen in Qing Dynasty) "the suburb of scouting is not the place of farming and herding; the place of fighting is not the city of farming and mulberry. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the wall and clear the field, so that when it comes, the whole armour can repair the soldiers, so as to take advantage of it. Although there are ancient and modern times, protecting the whole territory of the people is the only way out. " (Biography of he Chengtian in the book of Song Dynasty)