| 围魏救赵 |
wéi Wèi jiù Zhào |
lit. to besiege 魏 and rescue 赵 (idiom) / fig. to relieve a besieged ally by attacking the home base of the besiegers |
| 围 |
wéi |
to encircle / to surround / all around / to wear by wrapping around (scarf, shawl) |
| 魏 |
Wèi |
surname Wei / name of a vassal state of the Zhou dynasty from 661 BC in Shanxi, one of the Seven Hero Warring States / Wei state, founded by Cao Cao 曹操, one of the Three Kingdoms after the Han dynasty / the Wei dynasty 221–265 / Wei Prefecture or Wei County at various times in history |
| 魏 |
wèi |
tower over a palace gateway (old) |
| 救 |
jiù |
variant of 救 |
| 救 |
jiù |
to save / to assist / to rescue |
| 赵 |
Zhào |
surname Zhao / one of the seven states during the Warring States period (476–220 BC) / the Former Zhao 前赵 (304–329) and Later Zhao 后赵 (319–350), states of the Sixteen Kingdoms |
| 赵 |
zhào |
to surpass (old) |