noun
alliance of the Six Kingdoms against Qin, and of individual kingdoms with Qin
Historical term referring to the Warring States period diplomatic strategies: the vertical (north-south) alliance of the Six Kingdoms against Qin, and the horizontal (east-west) alliance of individual kingdoms with Qin.
合従連衡 is one of the diplomatic strategies of China's Warring States period.
noun
making and breaking alliances for one's own benefit; resorting to alliances as a diplomatic expedient
Extended figurative use: the tactic of opportunistically forming or dissolving alliances depending on the situation, often with a negative connotation of self-serving diplomacy.
彼の外交政策は合従連衡そのものだ。
His foreign policy is exactly the tactic of making and breaking alliances.
中小企業は合従連衡で生き残りを図っている。
Small and medium-sized enterprises are trying to survive through opportunistic alliances.