置之死地而後生〔-----后-〕 zi³ zi¹ sei² dei⁶ ji⁴ hau⁶ sang¹ {zhì zhī sǐ dì ér hòu shēng}

1. place sb on a field of death and he will fight to live (idiom based on Sunzi's "The Art of War" 孫子兵法); to fight desperately when confronting mortal danger
2. fig. to find a way out of an impasse