用英语讲中国故事——Waiting at One’s ease for the Exhausted Enemy 以逸待劳

以逸待劳

Waiting at One’s ease for the Exhausted Enemy

“三十六计”中的第四计——以逸待劳计

The fourth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems: Waiting at One’s ease for the Exhausted Enemy

这一计讲述的是在军事上通过保持自己的充分休息和准备，等待敌人疲惫后再发起攻击，从而取得胜利的策略。

This strategy describes how to achieve victory in military terms by getting enough rest and preparation, waiting for the enemy to become tired before launching an attack.

这一计策也被三国时期的诸葛亮运用过，这个故事与诸葛亮和司马懿有关。

This strategy was also used by Zhuge Liang during the Three Kingdoms period. This story is related to Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi.

在三国时期，蜀国的丞相诸葛亮非常聪明，他不仅会打仗，还会用很多计策。

During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of Shu, was very smart. He was not only good at fighting, but also knew how to use many strategies.

有一次，诸葛亮听说魏国的大将司马懿带领大军来攻打蜀国的边境，他没有慌张，而是想出了一个聪明的计策——“以逸待劳”。

Once, Zhuge Liang heard that Sima Yi, the general of Wei, was leading a large army to attack the border of Shu. He did not panic, but came up with a clever strategy - "Waiting at One’s ease for the Exhausted Enemy."

诸葛亮命令士兵们不要直接迎战，而是退守到一个易守难攻的地方，那里有高山和密林，非常适合隐藏和防守。

Zhuge Liang ordered his soldiers not to engage in direct battle, but to retreat to a place that was easy to defend but difficult to attack, where there were high mountains and dense forests, which was very suitable for hiding and defense.

他让士兵们在白天好好休息，晚上则加强警戒，准备迎接敌人的攻击。

He asked his soldiers to rest well during the day and to be on high alert at night to prepare for enemy attacks.

司马懿的大军到达边境后，发现蜀国的军队不见了，以为他们害怕逃跑了。

When Sima Yi's army arrived at the border, they found that the Shu army was missing and thought they had fled in fear.

于是，司马懿的军队开始在边境上四处寻找蜀军，他们在山里、林中穿梭，日复一日，士兵们变得非常疲惫，而且因为找不到蜀军，士气也逐渐低落。

So, Sima Yi's army began to look for the Shu army everywhere on the border. They shuttled through the mountains and forests day after day. The soldiers became very tired, and because they could not find the Shu army, their morale gradually declined.

就在这个时候，诸葛亮认为时机已到，他命令士兵们突然从山林中冲出，向疲惫不堪的魏军发起攻击。

At this moment, Zhuge Liang thought the time had come, and he ordered his soldiers to suddenly rush out of the mountains and forests and attack the exhausted Wei army.

魏军完全没有准备，很快就被蜀军击败了。司马懿看到自己的军队如此狼狈，只能下令撤退。

The Wei army was completely unprepared and was quickly defeated by the Shu army. Sima Yi saw his army in such a mess and had no choice but to order a retreat.

这个故事告诉我们：在面对困难和敌人时，要有耐心，先保存实力，等待最佳时机再行动，这样才能取得最终的胜利。有时候，智慧和策略比直接的力量更为重要。

This story tells us: When facing difficulties and enemies, we must be patient, conserve our strength first, and wait for the best time to act, so that we can achieve the final victory. Sometimes, wisdom and strategy are more important than direct strength.