📖 Meaning
To make a feint in one direction while attacking in another. It describes a diversionary tactic where one creates noise or a distraction on one side to conceal the real strike from the opposite side.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Ming Dynasty poet and official Li Dongyang's poem '喻战送李永敷南归' (A Battle Metaphor, Seeing Off Li Yongfu Returning South). In the poem, Li Dongyang expounds on military strategy, stating that the art of war lies in appearing and disappearing like ghosts, making sounds in the east while striking in the west, and shifting unpredictably. It is a variant of the more common idiom 声东击西 and has been used in Chinese military and strategic thought for centuries.
💡 Example Usage
游击队东声西击，佯攻县城，实则突袭了敌军仓库。
The guerrilla fighters used a diversionary tactic, pretending to attack the county town while actually raiding the enemy's supply depot.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 东声西击
- Pinyin: dōng shēng xī jī
- Literal Translation: east, sound, west, strike
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4