空城计 — “Empty city stratagem”
空城计 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a stratagem where one presents a bold and confident front to conceal weakness, lack of resources, or a vulnerable position, thereby deceiving an opponent into retreating or hesitating”. Literally, “Empty city stratagem”.
空城计 Pronunciation and Pinyin
空城计 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 空城计
Origin and Story of 空城计
During the Three Kingdoms period, after Zhuge Liang's subordinate Ma Su failed to defend Jieting, a strategic point of the Shu Kingdom, Sima Yi, leading the Wei army, capitalized on his victory and advanced directly towards Xicheng (West City).
With no troops available to counter Sima Yi's imminent attack, Zhuge Liang, renowned for his strategic brilliance, devised a daring plan. He ordered all city gates to be opened wide and personally sat on the city wall, calmly playing his guqin. Sima Yi, observing the unusual scene, became suspicious of a possible ambush and, fearing a trap, ordered his troops to retreat.
Later, when Sima Yi realized that Xicheng was indeed an empty city, he turned back to attack. However, by that time, General Zhao Yun had arrived with reinforcements, successfully relieving the siege and saving the city.
Idioms Related to 空城计
More idioms starting with 空
- kōng空zhōng中lóu楼gé阁castles in the air
- kōng空zhōng中jié结gòu构castles in the air
- kōng空qián前wèi未yǒu有unprecedented; never before existed
- kōng空qián前jué绝hòu后unprecedented and never to be surpassed
- kōng空kǒu口wú无píng凭Words alone are no proof
- kōng空kǒu口shuō说bái白huà话all talk and no action
- kōng空kǒu口shuō说kōng空huà话make empty promises
- kōng空gǔ古jué绝jīn今unprecedented and unique throughout history
- kōng空tóu头rén人qíng情empty show of affection
- kōng空tóu头zhī支piào票empty promise
- kōng空shì室qīng清yě野clear fields and empty rooms
- kōng空xīn心jià架zi子empty talk or hollow framework
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Open the tool →Questions about 空城计
What does 空城计 mean?
空城计 (kōng chéng jì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a stratagem where one presents a bold and confident front to conceal weakness, lack of resources, or a vulnerable position, thereby deceiving an opponent into retreating or hesitating”.
How do you pronounce 空城计?
空城计 is pronounced kōng chéng jì in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 空城计 literally mean?
Literally, 空城计 means “Empty city stratagem”. It is used to mean “a stratagem where one presents a bold and confident front to conceal weakness, lack of resources, or a vulnerable position, thereby deceiving an opponent into retreating or hesitating”.
Where does 空城计 come from?
空城计 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 空城计?
指在危急处境下，掩饰空虚，骗过对方的策略。