上下其手 — “To manipulate a situation”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 上下其手?

比喻玩弄手法，串通做弊。

上下其手 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to manipulate a situation”. Conspire, or collude with others through underhand means to achieve an unfair advantage, pervert justice, or practice fraud. Literally, “To move one's hands up and down; to manipulate with hands”.

Frequency

上下其手 Pronunciation and Pinyin

上下其手 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
上	shàng	3	up, above, on, previous, ascend
下	xià	3	below, down, next, to descend
其	qí	8	its, his, her, their
手	shǒu	4	hand, skill, person, handy

Example Sentence with 上下其手

在这次部门绩效考核中，有人被指控上下其手，篡改数据，以谋取不正当的利益。

During this department's performance review, some individuals were accused of manipulating the data through underhand means to gain improper benefits.

Origin and Story of 上下其手

The idiom '上下其手' (shàng xià qí shǒu) originates from a story during the Spring and Autumn period, in the 26th year of King Xiang of Chu. The Chu state launched an invasion against the weaker Zheng state, which ultimately led to Zheng's defeat and the capture of King Jie of Zheng by Chu general Chuanfeng Xu.

After the war, Prince Wei, a younger brother of the Chu king, wished to claim the credit for capturing King Jie. This led to a heated dispute between Chuanfeng Xu and Prince Wei, as neither would yield. To resolve the conflict, they sought the arbitration of Bo Li.

Bo Li proposed a fair solution: to ask the captive King Jie himself. When King Jie was brought before them, Bo Li explained the situation. He then extended two fingers, using the upper finger to represent Prince Wei and the lower finger to represent Chuanfeng Xu, and asked King Jie by whom he had been captured. King Jie, holding a grudge against Chuanfeng Xu, pointed to the upper finger, indicating that he was captured by Prince Wei.

Consequently, Bo Li ruled that the credit belonged to Prince Wei. The idiom '上下其手' thus emerged from this tale, initially signifying the act of manipulating or distorting facts.

In contemporary society, this idiom is often used to describe situations where individuals engage in fraud, collusion, or underhand dealings to gain unfair advantages or pervert justice. For instance, if someone commits an illegal act and then secretly offers bribes or seeks intercession from friends and family to cover it up, making a serious matter seem trivial, or allowing the culprit to evade punishment, the people involved in such corrupt practices are said to be '上下其手'.