"Attack Wei to save Zhao" — Phrase of the Week
Two internet giants battle for supremacy in each other's core markets
Our phrase of the week is: "attack Wei to save Zhao" (围魏救赵 wéi wèi jiù zhào)
Context
A high-profile clash between two of China’s biggest internet companies made headlines on April 21, when a video of JD.com (京东) founder Richard Liu (刘强东) personally delivering food orders went viral on social media.
The video, posted by a delivery driver, showed Liu in a JD delivery uniform carrying a food order.
In the days that followed, more clips surfaced of Liu delivering meals and hosting a hotpot dinner for delivery riders, where, true to his “Brother Dong” (东哥) image, he pledged to down his drink whenever toasted.
JD used the carefully orchestrated stunt to announce plans to hire over one million full-time couriers.
As China’s second-largest e-commerce platform, JD has been aggressively moving into food delivery since February this year, targeting Meituan, the dominant player with over 60% market share.
The rivalry has escalated quickly, with the two sides trading jabs in a high-stakes battle for market share.
But behind the viral headlines, some analysts see JD’s move as a counter-attack on Meituan’s push into instant retail—JD’s core business—marked by the April 15 launch of Meituan Flash Delivery (美团闪购).
“JD’s aggressive move into food delivery is viewed as 'attacking Wei to save Zhao' —using food delivery to tie up Meituan and slow its expansion into instant retail.”
京东猛攻外卖的做法被外界视为“围魏救赵”，本质上是希望通过外卖牵制美团，减缓其在即时零售领域的扩张速度。
Jīngdōng měng gōng wàimài de zuòfǎ bèi wàijiè shìwéi “wéi wèi jiù zhào”, běn zhì shàng shì xīwàng tōngguò wàimài qiānzhì Měituán, jiǎnhuǎn qí zài jíshí língshòu lǐngyù de kuòzhāng sùdù.
And with that, we have our Sinica Phrase of the Week!
What it means
"Attack Wei to save Zhao" (围魏救赵) is an idiom that dates back to China’s Warring States period (475–221 BCE), an era of constant warfare among seven kingdoms vying for supremacy.
The phrase originates from the story of the Battle of Guiling (桂陵之战), a military clash that took place in 354 BCE between the State of Qi (齐国) and the powerful state of Wei (魏国). The Qi launched the attack in attempt to save its ally, the State of Zhao (赵国).
The battle lasted several months and is recorded in Sima Qian’s (司马迁), Records of the Grand Historian (史记), in the chapter, Biographies of Sun Zi and Wu Qi (孙子吴起列传).
One famous passage from that chapter reads:
“Managing troops is like managing water: when the enemy is strong, avoid direct confrontation, like diverting a flood; when the enemy is weak, block their path, like building a dam.
So when Qi set out to rescue Zhao, Sun Zi told Tian Ji: ‘One who untangles knots doesn’t yank with force. One who breaks up a fight doesn’t throw punches. Strike the vital point, attack where it’s weak. When the circumstances are no longer conducive, the conflict resolves itself.’”
治兵如治水：锐者避其锋，如导疏；弱者塞其虚，如筑堰。故当齐救赵时，孙子谓田忌曰：“夫解杂乱纠纷者不控拳，救斗者，不搏击，批亢捣虚，形格势禁，则自为解耳。”
Zhì bīng rú zhì shuǐ: ruì zhě bì qí fēng, rú dǎo shū; ruò zhě sè qí xū, rú zhù yàn. Gù dāng Qí jiù Zhào shí, Sūn Zǐ wèi Tián Jì yuē: “Fū jiě záluàn jiūfēn zhě bú kòng quán, jiù dòu zhě, bù bójī, pī kàng dǎo xū, xíng gé shì jìn, zé zì wéi jiě ěr.”
The background: In 354 BCE, the State of Wei (魏国) launched a major campaign to attack and besiege Zhao’s capital, Handan (邯郸), in retaliation for past territorial losses. Desperate, the King of Zhao pleaded for help from the State of Qi (齐国), who agreed—on the condition that Zhao would cede territory if rescued.
Qi’s king appointed the general, Tian Ji (田忌), supported by Sun Bin (孙膑), a brilliant military strategist and descendant of Sun Tzu (孙子), author of The Art of War (孙子兵法).
Sun Bin had once studied alongside the Wei general, and served in Wei’s court, but, threatened by Sun’s talent, the Wei general had him brutally mutilated—breaking his legs and tattooing his face. While held captive, Sun Bin feigned madness and eventually escaped to Qi with the help of a sympathetic envoy.
In preparing for the counter attack against the Zhao, when the Qi army neared the Zhao–Wei border, General Tian Ji proposed heading directly towards the Zhao capital, Handan, to confront the attacking Wei forces.
But Sun Bin advised otherwise. He argued that Wei’s main army was fully committed to that siege. So if Qi instead struck Wei’s own territory, the Wei army would be forced to withdraw and defend its homeland. This would lift the siege on Zhao without a direct confrontation.
So, following Sun Bin’s strategy, the Qi forces bypassed Handan and moved on to attack the Wei heartland. As predicted, the Wei army retreated and was then ambushed on their return at Guiling (桂陵) by Qi forces.
Exhausted and unprepared, Wei’s troops were crushed. Qi emerged victorious, Zhao was saved, and Sun Bin’s reputation as a master strategist was cemented. He later authored the military treatise Sun Bin’s Art of War (孙膑兵法), which survives in part today.
This brilliant maneuver became known as “attacking Wei to save Zhao” (围魏救赵)—meaning to relieve pressure on an ally not by confronting the enemy head-on, but by attacking their home base and forcing them to shift their priorities.
Over a thousand years later, this was included in the Thirty-Six Stratagems (三十六计), a compilation of Chinese military strategies traditionally attributed to Wang Jingze (王境泽) and likely compiled in the late Ming (1368–1644) or early Qing (1644–1912) dynasty.
Back to the ruthless battle unfolding between China’s warring internet giants, this phrase perfectly captures what many observers believe is the main reason behind JD’s high profile entry into the food delivery market: to attack Meituan’s core business and distract them from attacking JD’s main business, instant retail.
That’s why we translate “attack Wei to save Zhao” as the “strategy of diversion”—avoiding direct confrontation by attacking their home base and forcing them to shift priorities.
Andrew Methven is the author of RealTime Mandarin, a resource which helps you bridge the gap to real-world fluency in Mandarin, stay informed about China, and communicate with confidence—all through weekly immersion in real news. Subscribe for free here.
Read more about how this story is being discussed in the Chinese media in this week’s RealTime Mandarin.
