以逸待劳

Pronunciation: yǐ yì dài láo Literal meaning: Conserve energy, wait for fatigue

Origin & Usage

Sun Tzu's chapter on manoeuvre lists the pairings: meet the distant with the near, the tired with the rested, the hungry with the fed. This is the second of them — using (以) ease (逸) to await (待) exhaustion (劳) — and it is the fourth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. The essential point is that the advantage is manufactured rather than found. The waiting side is expected to have chosen the ground and forced the other to do the marching, which distinguishes it from simply being patient.

Examples

English: "By preparing thoroughly, he was able to wait for the right moment to act without stress."

Chinese: 他充分准备，以逸待劳，轻松应对挑战。