biao lǐ shān hé

表 里 山 河

“Biao Li” refers to the internal and external. The external has great rivers, and the internal has high mountains, indicating the presence of natural barriers such as mountains and rivers.

Synonym: 表里河山 (biao li he shan)

Source:

Pre-Qin, Zuo Qiuming, “Zuo Zhuan, Year 28 of Duke Xi”: “In battle, if victorious, we will surely gain the support of the feudal lords. If not victorious, the external rivers and internal mountains will provide no harm.”

Translation:

Pre-Qin, Zuo Qiuming, “Zuo Zhuan, Year 28 of Duke Xi”: “Let’s go to battle! If we win, we will definitely gain the support of the feudal lords; if we do not win, our country has great rivers outside and high mountains inside, which will surely provide us no harm.”

Historical Context:

During the Spring and Autumn period, in the 28th year of Duke Xi of Lu (632 BC), the states of Jin and Chu engaged in the famous Battle of Chengpu (present-day southwest of Juancheng, Shandong). The Chu army camped in a strategically important area called Qie, which caused concern for Duke Wen of Jin. He heard soldiers singing lyrics that said: “The grass on the fields is lush, we must cut the old to sow the new.” (This means that the grass on the fields is very abundant, and we must cut the old to plant new seeds.) Duke Wen was filled with doubt. Hu Yan said: “Let’s fight. If we win, we will surely gain the support of the feudal lords. If we do not win, our country has the Yellow River outside and the Taihang Mountains inside, so even if Chu pursues us, we will not suffer any harm.” Duke Wen asked: “What about the past kindness of Chu towards us?” Luan Zhi replied: “The feudal states of the Ji surname north of the Han River have all been swallowed by Chu. If we dwell on past small kindnesses, we will forget this great humiliation; it is better to fight against Chu.” Just as Duke Wen was torn between fighting or not, he had a dream one night where he fought with King Cheng of Chu. King Cheng pressed him to the ground and sucked his brain marrow, which frightened him.

Hu Yan said: “This is an auspicious sign. We have received the mandate of heaven; King Chu will be punished, and we will tame him.”

Duke Jin relied on geographical advantages, which provided a retreat in this battle, allowing Duke Wen to confidently attack and achieve victory.

Example Sentence:

This terrain, with its mountains and rivers, is easy to defend and hard to attack, making it a crucial area for military strategists! If you like it, don’t forget to give it a thumbs up!