







变生肘腋 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Trouble brewing close at hand”. An unexpected incident or crisis arising from within one's immediate circle.
During the late Eastern Han Dynasty, when Cao Cao launched an attack on Zhang Lu in Hanzhong, Liu Zhang, the Governor of Yizhou, was persuaded by Zhang Song to invite Liu Bei into Shu. Fa Zheng was sent to Jingzhou for this purpose.
Fa Zheng subsequently provided Liu Bei with crucial strategies and advice. After Liu Zhang's demise, Liu Bei successfully seized Yizhou and established the state of Shu, appointing Fa Zheng as the Grand Administrator of Shu Commandery.
Fa Zheng, upon gaining power, often used his position to settle personal scores. Zhuge Liang, however, explained that Liu Bei appointed Fa Zheng not only out of gratitude but also due to his apprehension that trouble might arise from within (变生肘腋) if Fa Zheng were not given a significant role, thus ensuring stability.

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Open the tool →变生肘腋 (biàn shēng zhǒu yè) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Trouble brewing close at hand”.
变生肘腋 is pronounced biàn shēng zhǒu yè in Mandarin Chinese.
变生肘腋 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
肘腋:胳肢窝。比喻事变就发生在身边。