项庄之剑，志在沛公 — “A feigned action with a hidden agenda”

项庄之剑，志在沛公 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a feigned action with a hidden agenda”. An ulterior motive. Literally, “Xiang Zhuang's sword, aimed at Pei Gong”.

Frequency

项庄之剑，志在沛公 Pronunciation and Pinyin

项庄之剑，志在沛公 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
项	xiàng	9	item, term, or neck
庄	zhuāng	6	village; farm; manor
之	zhī	4	possessive or connective particle
剑	jiàn	9	ancient long-bladed weapon
，	，	—
志	zhì	7	will, aspiration, ambition
在	zài	6	to be at or in
沛	pèi	7	abundant, rushing, vigorous
公	gōng	4	public, common, impartial

Example Sentence with 项庄之剑，志在沛公

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.

Origin and Story of 项庄之剑，志在沛公

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".