During the late Warring States period, King Zhao of Qin sent a massive army to besiege the Zhao capital of Handan, placing the city in dire peril.
When King Xiaocheng of Zhao sent envoys to Wei for reinforcements, King Anxi of Wei immediately dispatched General Jin Bi with a large army to rescue Zhao. However, after Jin Bi's forces reached Tangyin, King Anxi, fearing the might of the Qin army, ordered Jin Bi to halt and encamp there, forbidding any further advance.
Next, King Anxi of Wei secretly sent Xinyuan Yan to Handan to meet with the Prime Minister of Zhao, Lord Pingyuan. Xinyuan Yan said, "The reason Qin has surrounded your capital with a massive army is that King Zhaoxiang of Qin wants to be declared emperor—not to seize cities or land. If the King of Zhao sends an envoy to express willingness to honor him as emperor, King Zhaoxiang will surely be pleased, and the Qin army will lift the siege and withdraw."
Lord Pingyuan, after hearing this, found himself momentarily unable to make a decision, hesitating and uncertain.
At that time, the Qi strategist Lu Zhonglian happened to be traveling in Zhao. After learning of the situation, he went to see Lord Pingyuan and persuaded him to arrange a meeting with Xin Yuanyan. Lu Zhonglian said, "Qin is a brutal, tiger-wolf state that knows no courtesy or righteousness—it bullies others into submission through sheer force. If it ever declares itself emperor, its tyranny will be ten times worse than it is now. I would rather leap into the East Sea and drown than become a subject of such a state. So how could King Wei and you, General, willingly serve as its subjects? In truth, once Qin becomes emperor, King Wei will be chopped into mincemeat. And once King Wei is killed, General, how could you possibly hold onto your rank and wealth?"
After hearing Lu Zhonglian's compelling argument, Xin Yuan Yan was convinced, changed his stance, and returned to persuade the King of Wei.
When the King of Qin learned that Lu Zhonglian, a man of extraordinary talent, was inside Handan, he withdrew his forces to camp by the Fen River. Soon after, Lord Xinling of Wei, Wu Ji, devised a plan to steal the military tally, seized General Jin Bi's command, and led troops to rescue Zhao, lifting the siege of Handan.
Later, the idiom "hesitant and indecisive" came to describe being unable to make up one's mind.
Source: *Strategies of the Warring States*, "Strategies of Zhao III"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "犹豫不决" came to describe how being unable to make up one's mind.