柔能克刚 (róunéngkègāng): the soft can subdue the hard

Recorded in Chapter 60 of 《三国演义》 (sānguó yǎnyì, Romance of the Three Kingdoms): 某素知刘备宽以待人，柔能克刚 ('I have always known Liu Bei treats others generously — softness conquers hardness'). The idea traces back further to 《道德经》 chapter 78: 柔之胜刚 ('the soft overcomes the hard').

culture

A core principle of both Daoist philosophy and internal martial arts (taiji, baguazhang) — yield to the opponent's force and redirect it rather than meeting it head-on.