"Bing bu yan zha" means that in warfare, one does not reject the use of deceptive stratagems, referring to the flexible employment of trickery, misdirection, and other means in order to achieve victory. This idiom originates from Han Feizi, Chapter "Nan Yi," where the original text reads, "In the midst of battle formations, one does not reject deception and falsehood," reflecting the ancient military school's idea that "warfare is the art of deception." Its deeper meaning is that in competitive or confrontational situations, one does not reject the use of strategic deception to achieve one's goals, but it is generally not applied to everyday interpersonal interactions and is mostly used in military affairs, business competition, sports competitions, and similar contexts. In terms of cultural background, it is in the same vein as ancient Chinese military strategy's emphasis on "combining the substantial and the insubstantial" and "taking the enemy by surprise." Its emotional coloring is relatively neutral, sometimes slightly derogatory, depending on the context. When using it, one should note that it does not encourage deception without bottom lines, but rather emphasizes the importance of wisdom and strategy under specific rules of confrontation.
📝 Example
1. In business negotiations, he deliberately leaked a false bottom price—truly, in war there is no objection to deceit. (Meaning: the use of strategic deception in competition.)
2. In a football match, the coach delayed time through a fake substitution. Although in war there is no objection to deceit, it sparked controversy. (Meaning: the use of cunning tactics in confrontation.)