The act of using someone's strength against them.
- - - - -
The term is said to have originated from the Chinese strategist, Zhuge Liang, during the Battle of Red Cliff against the
army of Cao Cao.
Before the Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhuge Liang went to visit the Wu camp to assist Wu strategist Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu saw Zhuge Liang as a threat to Eastern Wu and was also jealous of Zhuge Liang's
talent. Therefore, he assigned Zhuge Liang the task to make 100,000 arrows in ten days or face execution. Zhuge Liang, however, swore he would finish this seemingly
impossible task in three days. He requested 20 large boats, each manned with many straw
men and a few soldiers. Before
dawn, Zhuge Liang ordered his soldiers to beat
war drums and shout orders, to imitate the noise of an attack.
Zhuge Liang sat with Lu Su inside one of the boats drinking wine. The Wei soldiers, unable to see in the
fog, fired many volleys of arrows at the sound of the drums. The straw
men were soon filled with arrows, and Zhuge Liang returned to Wu having fulfilled his promise.
(Jin blocks Mike's punch to the face, and in seconds brings his friend to the
ground)
Jin: Straw
boat borrows arrows, eh?
Mike: That's not one of those
Chinese proverbs, is it?
Jin: >:)