兵符 (bīngfú): military tally (ancient token a…

Meanings

1 military tally (ancient token authorizing troop movement)
2 see 虎符 (hǔfú, tiger tally)

Characters

兵

Examples

没有兵符，将军不能调动军队。

Méiyǒu bīngfú, jiāngjūn bùnéng diàodòng jūnduì.

Without the military tally, a general cannot mobilize the troops.

信陵君窃符救赵的故事人人皆知。

Xìnlíngjūn qiè fú jiù Zhào de gùshi rénrén jiē zhī.

Everyone knows the story of Lord Xinling stealing the tally to save Zhao.

Tips

history

A 兵符 (often a bronze 虎符, tiger-shaped tally) was split in two — half kept by the emperor, half by the general. Only when the two halves matched could orders to move troops be authenticated. The most famous bronze tiger tally, 杜虎符, survives from the Qin dynasty.

culture

The chengyu 窃符救赵 ('steal the tally to save Zhao') refers to Lord Xinling of Wei (战国·信陵君) stealing his king's tally to send relief troops to Zhao in 257 BCE — a classic tale of loyalty over law.