圍魏救趙 wéi wèi jiù zhào

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. to besiege 魏[Wei4] and rescue 趙|赵[Zhao4] (idiom)
  2. fig. to relieve a besieged ally by attacking the home base of the besiegers

CHARACTERS

圍 wéi surround, encircle, corral
魏 wèi kingdom of Wei; surname
救 jiù
HSK 5
save, rescue, relieve; help, aid
趙 zhào surname; ancient state