草船借箭
What does 草船借箭 mean?
To use straw boats to borrow arrows — turning the enemy's resources against them through clever strategy
比喻巧妙利用敌人或对手的力量和资源，反过来解决自己的难题。
Historical origin
In the Three Kingdoms story, Zhou Yu ordered Zhuge Liang to make 100,000 arrows in just three days, hoping he would fail. Zhuge Liang asked Lu Su for twenty boats covered with straw, then sailed into the thick fog near Cao Cao's fleet and had drums beaten. Cao Cao's soldiers shot thousands of arrows into the straw boats, and Zhuge Liang brought the arrows back to complete the task.
How do you use 草船借箭 in a sentence?
Instead of buying expensive materials, our team used the other side's extra supplies to finish the project—it was like grass boats borrowing arrows.
我们队没有去买昂贵的材料，而是利用了对方多余的物资完成了项目，真像“草船借箭”。
Common mistake
Do not use this idiom for ordinary borrowing or simple asking for help. It is wrong if there is no clever plan to turn the other side's strength or resources into your own advantage.
不要把这个成语用在普通的借东西或单纯请求帮助上。如果没有巧妙地把对方的力量或资源变成自己的优势，这样用就是不对的。
More examples and usage guide