not press an enemy at bay

not press an enemy at bay

As a Chinese idiom, the Pinyin is Qi ó NGK ò um ò Zhu ī, which means not to pursue the enemy who has no way to go, so as to avoid the enemy's urgent counterattack and causing their own losses. The metaphor should not be too compelling. It's from Sun Tzu's military struggle.

Idiom explanation

Poor Bandits: desperate enemies. Do not pursue the enemy who has no way to go, so as to avoid the enemy's hasty counterattack and causing his own losses. The metaphor should not be too compelling.

The origin of Idioms

Sun Tzu's military struggle: "don't force the poor, this is the way to use the army."

Idiom usage

As an object or attribute, it refers to the enemy who does not pursue and has no way to go. ······The ninety fifth chapter of romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong in Ming Dynasty