项庄舞剑，意在沛公 — “Xiang Zhuang performs a sword dance, but his true target is Liu Bang”
项庄舞剑，意在沛公 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “referring to someone's actions or words that seem to be for one purpose, but are actually intended to achieve another, often malicious, goal; to have an ulterior motive or a hidden agenda”. Literally, “Xiang Zhuang performs a sword dance, but his true target is Liu Bang”.
项庄舞剑，意在沛公 Pronunciation and Pinyin
项庄舞剑，意在沛公 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 项庄舞剑，意在沛公
Origin and Story of 项庄舞剑，意在沛公
In 208 BC, Xiang Yu led an army of 400,000 towards Xianyang, where they were blocked by Liu Bang's defending forces.
Xiang Bo invited Liu Bang to a banquet at Hongmen. Upon Liu Bang's arrival, Xiang Yu arranged for Xiang Zhuang to perform a sword dance for entertainment, with the actual intention of seizing the opportunity to kill Liu Bang.
Xiang Bo also joined the sword dance, doing his best to protect Liu Bang. Liu Bang's subordinate Fan Kuai then rushed into the tent to protect Liu Bang, and Liu Bang took the chance to escape.
Idioms Related to 项庄舞剑，意在沛公
Synonyms of 项庄舞剑，意在沛公
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Open the tool →Questions about 项庄舞剑，意在沛公
What does 项庄舞剑，意在沛公 mean?
项庄舞剑，意在沛公 (xiàng zhuāng wǔ jiàn ， yì zài pèi gōng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “referring to someone's actions or words that seem to be for one purpose, but are actually intended to achieve another, often malicious, goal; to have an ulterior motive or a hidden agenda”.
How do you pronounce 项庄舞剑，意在沛公?
项庄舞剑，意在沛公 is pronounced xiàng zhuāng wǔ jiàn ， yì zài pèi gōng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 项庄舞剑，意在沛公 literally mean?
Literally, 项庄舞剑，意在沛公 means “Xiang Zhuang performs a sword dance, but his true target is Liu Bang”. It is used to mean “referring to someone's actions or words that seem to be for one purpose, but are actually intended to achieve another, often malicious, goal; to have an ulterior motive or a hidden agenda”.
Where does 项庄舞剑，意在沛公 come from?
项庄舞剑，意在沛公 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 项庄舞剑，意在沛公?
项庄席间舞剑，企图刺杀刘邦。比喻说话和行动的真实意图别有所指。