feint east, strike west; military deception
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
to make a feint to the east while attacking in the west; to mislead the enemy by making a feint in one direction while attacking in another
formalOriginally a military strategy from ancient Chinese warfare, now also used metaphorically in business, sports, and daily life to describe any deceptive tactic that distracts attention from the real action.
Wǒ我
jūn军
shǐ使
yòng用
shēng声
dōng东
jī击
xī西
de的
zhàn战
shù术
，
chéng成
gōng功
tū突
pò破
le了
dí敌
rén人
de的
fáng防
xiàn线
。
Our army used the tactic of making a feint to the east while attacking in the west, successfully breaking through the enemy's defenses.
Jǐng警
fāng方
cǎi采
qǔ取
shēng声
dōng东
jī击
xī西
de的
cè策
lüè略
，
fēn分
sǎn散
le了
jié劫
fěi匪
de的
zhù注
yì意
lì力
。
The police adopted a diversion strategy, distracting the robbers' attention.
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Zhè这
yī一
jì计
zhèng正
shì是
shēng声
dōng东
jī击
xī西
，
ràng让
duì对
shǒu手
cuò措
shǒu手
bù不
jí及
。
This move was exactly a feint—catching the opponent off guard.