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|孙子兵法[Sun1 zi3 Bing1 fa3]); to fight desperately when confronting mortal danger / fig. to find a way out of an impasse
xiān tiān xià zhī yōu ér yōu , hòu tiān xià zhī lè ér lè
The first concern is affairs of state, enjoying the pleasure comes later. Quotation from essay On Yueyang Tower 岳陽樓記|岳阳楼记 by Song writer Fan Zhongyan 範仲淹|范仲淹
lit. the cart in front overturns, a warning to the following cart (idiom); fig. draw lesson from the failure of one's predecessor / learn from past mistake / once bitten twice shy