📖 Meaning
Literally 'upon the thigh and palm.' It is a metaphor for having someone or something completely within one's control or manipulation, as effortlessly as one can turn an object over on one's own thigh or in one's own hand. It typically describes a situation where a shrewd strategist dominates an adversary.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the 'Guoyu' (Discourses of the States), in the chapter 'Wu Yu' (Discourses of Wu), composed during the late Spring and Autumn period. It records the words about Wen Zhong, a senior minister of the state of Yue, who was described as both courageous and skilled in strategy. The text states that Wen Zhong intended to 'play with the state of Wu upon his thigh and palm' in order to fulfill Yue's ambitions of revenge after their earlier defeat by Wu. The phrase thus captures how a masterful planner could manipulate an entire rival state as easily as tossing an object between thigh and hand.
💡 Example Usage
这位谋士深谙权术，能将敌国玩于股掌之上。
This strategist was deeply versed in statecraft and could play an enemy state as if holding it in the palm of his hand.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 股掌之上
- Pinyin: gǔ zhǎng zhī shàng
- Literal Translation: thigh, palm, of, upon
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4