攻城则力屈 (攻城則力屈) gōng chéng zé lì qū

gōng chéng zé lì qū phrase if you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength
Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文 , Subdomain: , Concept:
Notes: Quote: from the Warring States period text 孫子兵法 “Art of War” by Sunzi, section 2 (Amies 2021 tr.; see also tr. by Giles 1910, p. 9)