请 将 不 如 激 将

qǐng jiàng bù rú jī jiàngdictionary entry

lit. to dispatch a general is not as effective as to excite a general / fig. inciting people to action is more effective than dispatching orders

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-aaec45722d8c87ce. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

請將不如激將 请将不如激将 [qing3 jiang4 bu4 ru2 ji1 jiang4] /lit. to dispatch a general is not as effective as to excite a general/fig. inciting people to action is more effective than dispatching orders/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 請將不如激將

请
qǐng
to ask / to invite / please (do sth) / to treat (to a meal etc) / to request
将
jiāng
will / shall / to use / to take / to checkmate / just a short while ago / (introduces object of main verb, used in the same way as 把[bǎ])
jiàng
(bound form) a general / (literary) to command / to lead / (Chinese chess) general (on the black side, equivalent to a king in Western chess)
qiāng
to desire / to invite / to request
不
bù
no / not so / (bound form) not / un-
如
rú
as / as if / such as
激
jī
to arouse / to incite / to excite / to stimulate / sharp / fierce / violent
将
jiāng
will / shall / to use / to take / to checkmate / just a short while ago / (introduces object of main verb, used in the same way as 把[bǎ])
jiàng
(bound form) a general / (literary) to command / to lead / (Chinese chess) general (on the black side, equivalent to a king in Western chess)
qiāng
to desire / to invite / to request

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.