To create a diversion by making a show of attacking one place while actually attacking another; a feint to achieve a surprise attack.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Antonym:
Story:
During the Chu-Han Contention, Liu Bang sent his general Han Xin to attack Wei Wang Bao, who had pledged allegiance to Xiang Yu. Wei Wang Bao appointed Bo Zhi as his general to lead troops stationed at Puban, on the eastern bank of the Yellow River, effectively blocking the crossing.
Han Xin observed that Puban was a strategically strong position, difficult to assault directly. He then made a grand show of preparing his troops for a forceful crossing at Puban, creating the impression that he would attack there.
However, under the cover of this elaborate feint, Han Xin secretly led his main forces to cross the river at Xiayang, further west. From Xiayang, his army marched swiftly to Anyi, where they launched a surprise attack and annihilated the majority of Wei Wang Bao's forces.
This clever use of misdirection and deception to achieve victory is the origin of the idiom "声东击西".