项庄之剑，志在沛公 | ulterior motive

xiàng项zhuāng庄zhī之jiàn剑，，zhì志zài在pèi沛gōng公

A feigned action with a hidden agenda; an ulterior motive.

表面上，他提议大家一起去郊游，但明眼人都知道，这不过是项庄之剑，志在沛公，想借机向公司高层汇报自己的工作进展。

On the surface, he suggested everyone go for an outing, but anyone with a keen eye knew that this was merely a feigned action with an ulterior motive, intending to use the opportunity to report his work progress to the company's senior management.

Era:

Ancient

Frequency:

Synonym:

项庄舞剑，意在沛公

Story:

In 208 BCE, Xiang Yu led an army of 400,000 toward Xianyang, where they were blocked by Liu Bang's forces. Xiang Bo, Xiang Yu's uncle, invited Liu Bang to a banquet at Hongmen.

During the feast, Xiang Zhuang, a general under Xiang Yu, began performing a sword dance, with the real intention of seizing the opportunity to kill Liu Bang.

However, Xiang Bo also joined the sword dance, subtly positioning himself to shield and protect Liu Bang. Soon after, Fan Kuai, a brave general from Liu Bang's side, burst into the tent to further ensure Liu Bang's safety.

Liu Bang then used this commotion as an opportunity to escape from the banquet. This event is known as the "Hongmen Banquet".

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