Definition
欲擒故纵 is a Chinese idiom from military strategy that literally means 'to want to capture but let go on purpose'. It describes a tactic of deliberately letting an opponent go free or relax their guard so that you can catch them more effectively later. In modern use, it can refer to any situation where you give someone freedom or appear to back off in order to achieve a bigger goal later.
f.e.
(chengyu) to give someone enough freedom to act and then catch themto loosen the reins to tighten them later
Examples
- 欲擒故纵，。Tā cǎiyòng le yù qín gù zòng de cèlüè, xiān ràng díjūn fàngsōng jǐngtì.He adopted the strategy of giving the enemy rope to hang themselves, first letting them lower their guard.
- ，欲擒故纵，。Zài tánpàn zhōng, tā gùyì yù qín gù zòng, ràng duìfāng yǐwéi zìjǐ zhàn le piányi.During the negotiation, he deliberately played hard to get, making the other side think they had the upper hand.
- ，欲擒故纵，。Zhuī tā de shíhou, wǒ yòng yù qín gù zòng de fāngfǎ, fǎn'ér ràng tā gèng zhǔdòng.When I was pursuing her, I used the tactic of not being overly eager, which made her more proactive.
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