an arrogant army tends to be destroyed

While a person is alive, the body is soft and supple. When dead, it becomes stiff and hard. Plants and trees are soft and tender while alive. When dead, they become dry and brittle. So hardness and rigidity belong to death. Softness and weakness belong to life. That is why an army that flaunts its strength will be destroyed, and a tree that is too hard will easily break. The hard and strong are beneath. The soft and weak are above.