諺語 · a single proverb
擒賊擒王
Simplified: 擒贼擒王
What does 擒賊擒王 (qín zéi qín wáng) mean?
擒賊擒王 (qín zéi qín wáng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "to catch the bandits, first catch their king." In use it means: Address the root cause, not the symptoms; defeat the leader to scatter the followers. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dragon.
Literally: "to catch the bandits, first catch their king."
The reading
A hundred soldiers follow one general. Remove the general and the hundred scatter. Every complex problem has a king: the one node whose removal causes the entire structure to collapse. The efficient person does not fight the army. They find the general.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Du Fu 杜甫, poem 前出塞 (Qian Chu Sai)
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Courage & Decisive Action, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dragon, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 擒賊擒王 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 擒賊擒王 (qín zéi qín wáng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Du Fu 杜甫, poem 前出塞 (Qian Chu Sai). It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 擒賊擒王?
In Mandarin it is qín zéi qín wáng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 擒賊擒王 aloud in Mandarin.