📖 Meaning
To feign defeat in battle in order to lure the enemy into a trap or ambush. The tactic relies on making the opponent believe they are winning, then striking when they are vulnerable. It is a classic military deception strategy.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase comes from the Ming dynasty novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三国演义) by Luo Guanzhong. In Chapter 96, a commander proposes leading a thousand troops to challenge the enemy, then feigning defeat to lure them to the foot of North Mountain, where a signal flare would trigger a three-sided pincer attack guaranteeing victory. The stratagem reflects the broader tradition of deception in Chinese military thought, notably Sun Tzu's principle that all warfare is based on deception.
💡 Example Usage
将领佯输诈败，引敌深入山谷，伏兵四起围歼之。
The general feigned defeat and lured the enemy deep into the valley, where hidden troops rose on all sides and annihilated them.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 佯输诈败
- Pinyin: yáng shū zhà bài
- Literal Translation: pretend, lose, fake, defeat
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4