The King of Chu said to Chen Zhen, "I have heard that one who stands between others will surely bring harm upon himself. Now you are not of my party, yet you serve me—how is this different from that situation?" Chen Zhen replied, "Has Your Majesty not heard the story of the man of Wu who traveled to Chu? The King of Chu held him in great favor. When he fell ill, the King sent someone to inquire after him, saying, 'Is he truly ill, or does he long for me?' The attendants replied, 'We do not know whether he longs for you or not. If he truly longs for you, he will sing the songs of Wu.' Now I too shall sing the songs of Wu for Your Majesty. Has Your Majesty not heard the counsel of Guan Yu? Two tigers were fighting over a man, and Guan Zhuangzi was about to strike them. Guan Yu stopped him and said, 'Tigers are fierce beasts, and man is their sweet prey. Now two tigers fight over a man—the smaller will surely die, and the larger will surely be wounded. Wait until the tiger is wounded, then strike—in one move you shall gain both tigers.' Now I and Zhang Yi are like two tigers locked in combat. If Your Majesty waits until we are both wounded and then strikes, you shall gain both tigers in a single move. Allow me to explain this to Your Majesty: when Chu attacks Wei, Zhang Yi will surely use the forces of Qin to aid Wei. At that time, if Your Majesty forms an alliance with Wei, then Zhang Yi's schemes will be exhausted."
💡 商战启示录
Chen Zhen's wisdom lay in aligning his own predicament with the interests of the King of Chu, employing the metaphor of "two tigers locked in combat" to counsel the king to reap the spoils from afar. This mirrors the "competitive strategy" and "timing mastery" of modern business. For instance, in the e-commerce arena, when two titans—such as Pinduoduo and Alibaba—engage in a price war over market share, a third player like JD.com may choose not to enter the fray immediately, but instead observe the battlefield, waiting until both rivals are exhausted or new market demands emerge, before striking with precision to acquire users or resources at minimal cost. Chen Zhen's strategy further underscored the use of "information asymmetry" and "alliance-building"—he proactively disclosed Zhang Yi's movements to the King of Chu and advised forging an alliance with the state of Wei, akin to modern enterprises leveraging intelligence analysis to anticipate competitors' next moves and establishing strategic partnerships in advance, such as technological alliances or supply-chain coordination, thereby neutralizing threats before they materialize. In commercial warfare, "striking the wounded tiger" is by no means passive waiting; it is an active deployment grounded in profound insight, demanding that corporate leaders possess patience, a panoramic vision, and decisive resolve—to launch a "one-strike, certain-hit" action at the opportune moment, achieving cost minimization and benefit maximization.