lit. sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight (idiom) / fig. watch in safety whilst others fight then reap the rewards when both sides are exhausted
一决雌雄
yī jué cí xióng
to have a showdown / to fight for mastery / to compete for a championship
互殴
hù ōu
to fight each other / to come to blows
打擂台
dǎ lèi tái
(old) to fight on the leitai / (fig.) to enter a contest
倾巢
qīng cháo
lit. the whole nest came out (to fight us) / a turnout in full force (of a gang of villains)
a cornered beast will still fight (idiom) / to fight like an animal at bay
以夷制夷
yǐ yí zhì yí
to use foreigners to subdue foreigners (idiom) / let the barbarians fight it out among themselves (traditional policy of successive dynasties) / Use Western science and technology to counter imperialist encroachment. (late Qing modernizing slogan)
lit. lone army putting up a brave fight (idiom) / fig. (of a person or group of people) struggling hard without support
勾心斗角
gōu xīn dòu jiǎo
to fight and scheme against each other (idiom) / (in palace construction) elaborate and refined
以毒攻毒
yǐ dú gōng dú
to cure ills with poison (TCM) / to fight evil with evil / set a thief to catch a thief / to fight fire with fire
百战不殆
bǎi zhàn bù dài
to come unscathed through a hundred battles (idiom, from Sunzi's "The Art of War" 孫子兵法|孙子兵法[Sun1 zi3 Bing1 fa3]) / to win every fight
置之死地而后生
zhì zhī sǐ dì ér hòu shēng
(idiom based on Sunzi's "The Art of War" 孫子兵法|孙子兵法[Sun1zi3 Bing1fa3]) to deploy one's troops in such a way that there is no possibility of retreat, so that they will fight for their lives and win the battle / to fight desperately when confronted with mortal danger / to find a way to emerge from a dire situation
不打不成相识
bù dǎ bù chéng xiāng shí
don't fight, won't make friends (idiom) / an exchange of blows may lead to friendship
两虎相斗
liǎng hǔ xiāng dòu
lit. two tigers fight (idiom) / fig. a dispute between two powerful adversaries / a battle of the giants
坐观成败
zuò guān chéng bài
to sit and await success or failure (idiom) / to wait to see the outcome of a fight before taking sides / to sit on the fence
暴虎冯河
bào hǔ píng hé
lit. fight tigers with one's bare hands and wade across raging rivers (idiom) / fig. to display foolhardy courage
有征无战
yǒu zhēng wú zhàn
to win without a fight (idiom)
死中求生
sǐ zhōng qiú shēng
to seek life in death (idiom) / to fight for one's life
穷当益坚
qióng dāng yì jiān
poor but ambitious (idiom) / hard-pressed but determined / the worse one's position, the harder one must fight back
好汉不吃眼前亏
hǎo hàn bù chī yǎn qián kuī
a wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him (idiom)
qiā