明修棧道，暗渡陳倉

Chinese

		clear; bright; to understand clear; bright; to understand; next; the Ming dynasty	to decorate; to embellish; to repair to decorate; to embellish; to repair; to build; to study; to write; to cultivate	plank road built on wooden brackets fixed onto the face of a cliff		dark; gloomy; hidden dark; gloomy; hidden; secret	to cross; to pass through; to ferry	Chencang
trad. (明修棧道，暗渡陳倉)		明	修	棧道	，	暗	渡	陳倉
simp. (明修栈道，暗渡陈仓)		明	修	栈道	，	暗	渡	陈仓
alternative forms		明修棧道，暗度陳倉／明修栈道，暗度陈仓
Literally: “repair the plank road openly while secretly crossing [the Wei River] at Chencang”.

Etymology

Referring to a stratagem used by Liu Bang in 206 BC against Xiang Yu of Chu.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): míngxiūzhàndào, àndùchéncāng

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄒㄧㄡ ㄓㄢˋ ㄉㄠˋ , ㄢˋ ㄉㄨˋ ㄔㄣˊ ㄘㄤ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ming⁴ sau¹ zaan⁶ dou⁶, am³ dou⁶ can⁴ cong¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: míngxiūzhàndào, àndùchéncāng
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄒㄧㄡ ㄓㄢˋ ㄉㄠˋ , ㄢˋ ㄉㄨˋ ㄔㄣˊ ㄘㄤ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: míngsioujhàndào, àndùchéncang
    • Wade–Giles: ming²-hsiu¹-chan⁴-tao⁴, an⁴-tu⁴-chʻên²-tsʻang¹
    • Yale: míng-syōu-jàn-dàu-, àn-dù-chén-tsāng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mingshioujanndaw, annduhcherntsang
    • Palladius: минсючжаньдао, аньдучэньцан (minsjučžanʹdao, anʹdučɛnʹcan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /miŋ³⁵ ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂän⁵¹⁻⁵³ tɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ˀän⁵¹⁻⁵³ tu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰən³⁵ t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: ming⁴ sau¹ zaan⁶ dou⁶, am³ dou⁶ can⁴ cong¹
    • Yale: mìhng sāu jaahn douh, am douh chàhn chōng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: ming⁴ sau¹ dzaan⁶ dou⁶, am³ dou⁶ tsan⁴ tsong¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: ming⁴ seo¹ zan⁶ dou⁶, em³ dou⁶ cen⁴ cong¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɪŋ²¹ sɐu̯⁵⁵ t͡saːn²² tou̯²² ɐm³³ tou̯²² t͡sʰɐn²¹ t͡sʰɔːŋ⁵⁵/

Idiom

明修棧道，暗渡陳倉

1. to feign one thing while doing something else; to divert someone's attention towards something while secretly doing something else to achieve one's goal