蒋干盗书 — “To fall for a counter-espionage scheme”

蒋干盗书 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to fall for a counter-espionage scheme”. To be tricked into causing harm to one's own side by believing false information planted by an opponent. It signifies being manipulated to act against one's own interests. Literally, “Jiang Gan steals a letter”.

Frequency

蒋干盗书 Pronunciation and Pinyin

蒋干盗书 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
蒋	jiǎng	12	wild rice or to commend
干	gàn	3	to do or dry
盗	dào	11	steal or a thief
书	shū	4	book, write, document

Example Sentence with 蒋干盗书

他没有仔细核实信息，结果中了别人的“蒋干盗书”之计，造成了不必要的损失。

He didn't verify the information carefully and, as a result, fell for someone's "Jiang Gan steals a letter" trick, causing unnecessary losses.

Origin and Story of 蒋干盗书

During the Three Kingdoms period, Jiang Gan was dispatched by Cao Cao to persuade Zhou Yu to surrender. Zhou Yu, well aware of his old classmate's mission, secretly laid a trap.

At the banquet, political discussions were off-limits; they merely reminisced and drank wine. Zhou Yu arranged for them to share a bed that night. He deliberately allowed Jiang Gan to "steal" a fabricated letter from Cai Mao and Zhang Yun, which falsely suggested their intent to surrender.

Jiang Gan took the letter back to Cao Cao, who, convinced of its authenticity, ordered the execution of his two formidable rivals, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun. This marked the successful execution of Zhou Yu's brilliant stratagem.