When should you sacrifice material in xiangqi?
These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws and is regression-tested against the official 110-diagram repetition casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it against the engine before publishing.
Direct answer
Two situations account for most sound sacrifices: removing an advisor, and opening a line into the palace. Both trade material for speed against a target that cannot move, which is why sacrifices work more reliably here than in chess — the general has nowhere to run to while you rebuild.
The advisor sacrifice
Most attacks that fail against two advisors succeed against one. Giving a soldier, or even a horse, to remove an advisor is routine at strong-player level because it converts a defence that holds into one that does not. Count the mate first, then pay for it.
The line-opening sacrifice
A cannon or chariot needs a line; a soldier in the way is cheap. Sacrificing to clear the central file, or to force a defender off it, buys the tempo that lets a second attacker arrive. The test is always the same: after the sacrifice, can you bring more pieces to the palace than they can bring back?
Related questions
Are speculative sacrifices sound?
Less often than they feel. If you cannot name the mating pattern you are heading for, you are guessing.
Is a soldier for an advisor a good trade?
In the endgame, usually yes — whole classes of mate open up.
.