纸上谈兵Strategic Planning on Paper

Strategic Planning on Paper(成语 纸上谈兵 英文)


Zhao Guo(1) had had lessons in the art of war since he was very young. Therefore, in speaking of military strategy and tacties, he thought none could excel him. Once he had a discussion with his father Zhao Seh, a senior general, about the command of troops and conduct of wars. He talked in such a self-assured way that his father, though finding it impossible to refute him, distained to say a word in his praise. For this Guo's mother asked her hushand the reason.

"To fight a war entails fatal danger," answered Zhao Seh." But Guo passed it off as something easy in his talk. It would be better if our state did not appoint him as a commander.If they do, he will surely be the one to lead our troops to doom."...

In the seventh year(2) (259 BC), the army of the State of Qin drove into the State of Zhao, and their troops confronted each other at Changping(3). By that time Zhao She had passed away and Lin Xiangru was very ill, and so the King of Zhao ordered Lian Po to take command and attack Qin. Having suffered several defeats, the Zhao troops firmly held their position in the defence and stopped fighting. In spite of Qin's repeated challenges, Lian Po refused to make any move. Then Qin sent a spy to Zhao to spread a rumour, which said:"Qin has only one thing to worry about. They are afraid that Zhao Guo, son of Zhao She, might come out to command the army." The King of Zhao believed the rumour and had Lian Po replaced by Zhao Guo....

As son as Zhao Guo took the place of Lian Po he changed all the latter's orders, rules and systems, and dismissed many military officers. When General Bai Qi of Qin got this information, he started an ingenious military move. Feigning to retreat after a defeat,his troops went to sever Zhao's food supply line and cut Guo's troops in two. This put the soldiers into great trepidation. Forty days later, the soldiers weakened from hunger Zhao Guo himself went into combat with his crack troops and was shot to death by the arrows of the Qin troops.

____________remark________________
(1) of the State of Zhao during the Warring State Period(475-221 BC).
(2) the seventh year of the regin of Xiacheng Wang of Zhao(259 BC). Another version of the story says that it was the sixth year(258 BC).
(3) present-day Gaoping County, Shanxi Province.

纸上谈兵(chinese idioms)

赵括从小就学习兵法，谈论兵事，认为天下没有比得上他的。曾经和他的父亲赵奢谈论兵事，赵奢都难不倒他，但是并不称赞他。赵括的母亲问赵奢其中的原因，赵奢曰∶“打仗，是生死攸关的地方，而赵括太轻率地讨论它了。如果赵王不让他当将军就罢了，如果一定要让他当将军，他一定会使赵军遭受失败。”...

孝成王七年（前259），秦军与赵军在长平对阵，那时赵奢已死，蔺相如也已病危，赵王派廉颇率兵攻打秦军，秦军几次打败赵军，赵军坚守营垒不出战。秦军屡次挑战。廉颇置之不理。赵王听信秦军间谍散布的谣言。秦军间谍说：“秦军所厌恶忌讳的，就是怕马服君赵奢的儿子赵括来做将军。”赵王因此就以赵括为将军，取代了廉颇。蔺相如说：“大王只凭名声来任用赵括，就好像用胶把调弦的柱粘死再去弹瑟那样不知变通。赵括只会读他父亲留下的书，不懂得灵活应变。”赵王不听，还是命赵括为将。...

赵括代替廉颇（担任抗秦大将）后，全部更改（原有的）纪律和规定，撤换军官。秦将白起听到了这些事，派了变化莫测的军队，假装败退，截断了赵军运输军粮的道路，把赵国的军队一切为二，（于是）军心离散。经过四十多天，军中兵士饥饿，赵括带领精锐的兵士亲自上阵战斗。（结果）秦军射死了赵括。赵括的军队大败，数十万兵士便投降了秦国，秦国把他们全部活埋了。

纸上谈兵,比喻空谈理论,不能解决实际问题。