前后夹攻

Origin and story

The words describe an attack from both the front and the rear. They are straightforward military language, and the sources checked do not establish a single founding story. An exact occurrence appears in the Qing campaign record Pingding Liang Jinchuan Fanglüe, where commanders discuss attacking fortified positions from opposing directions to make them easier to capture.

That record supplies a historical example of the wording, not proof that the tactic or phrase began there. The expression remains useful for literal battles, games, and figurative pressure from two sides. Its defining feature is the combined directions of attack, rather than simply having many opponents.