狐鸣篝中 — “To create a false omen or pretext to rally support for a cause”
狐鸣篝中 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to create a false omen or pretext to rally support for a cause”. To mobilize people through calculated deception, similar to stirring up public sentiment for an uprising. Literally, “Fox crying in the bonfire”.
狐鸣篝中 Pronunciation and Pinyin
狐鸣篝中 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 狐鸣篝中
Origin and Story of 狐鸣篝中
In the late Qin Dynasty, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were conscripted into the army. Due to heavy rain, their journey was delayed, leaving them with no choice but to revolt.
Before launching their uprising, Chen Sheng consulted a fortune-teller. He wrote "Chen Sheng Wang" (Chen Sheng is King) on a piece of white silk and secretly placed it inside a fish's belly. In the middle of the night, in an old temple, he used a bamboo cage to cover a bonfire and mimicked a fox crying out "Chen Sheng Wang," effectively creating an omen to build momentum.
The very next day, they initiated their revolt and established the Zhang Chu regime.
Idioms Related to 狐鸣篝中
Synonyms of 狐鸣篝中
More idioms starting with 狐
- hú狐bù不èr二xióng雄Two dominant figures cannot coexist
- hú狐jiǎ假hǔ虎wēi威exploit another's power to intimidate
- hú狐jiǎ假chī鸱zhāng张swagger with borrowed authority
- hú狐tù兔zhī之bēi悲sorrow for one's own kind
- hú狐píng凭shǔ鼠fú伏to lurk or hide in secret
- hú狐tīng听zhī之shēng声subtle sound of water flowing under ice
- hú狐chàng唱xiāo枭hé和bad people colluding or echoing
- hú狐mái埋hú狐yáng扬overly suspicious and indecisive
- hú狐mái埋hú狐hú搰overly suspicious and indecisive
- hú狐bēn奔shǔ鼠cuàn窜flee in a panic
- hú狐mèi媚yuán猿pān攀fawn and climb unscrupulously
- hú狐mèi媚yǎn魇dào道seductive and bewitching conduct
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Open the tool →Questions about 狐鸣篝中
What does 狐鸣篝中 mean?
狐鸣篝中 (hú míng gōu zhōng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to create a false omen or pretext to rally support for a cause”.
How do you pronounce 狐鸣篝中?
狐鸣篝中 is pronounced hú míng gōu zhōng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 狐鸣篝中 literally mean?
Literally, 狐鸣篝中 means “Fox crying in the bonfire”. It is used to mean “to create a false omen or pretext to rally support for a cause”.
Where does 狐鸣篝中 come from?
狐鸣篝中 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to the modern era. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 狐鸣篝中?
指起事者动员群众的措施。同“狐鸣鱼书”。