围魏救赵

wéi wèi jiù zhào

lit. to besiege 魏[Wei4] and rescue 趙|赵[Zhao4] (idiom)

fig. to relieve a besieged ally by attacking the home base of the besiegers

围

wéi

to encircle

魏

wèi

name of a vassal state of the Zhou dynasty from 661 BC in Shanxi, one of the Seven Hero Warring States

救

jiù

to save

赵

zhào

one of the seven states during the Warring States period (476–220 BC)