







床头捉刀人 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a ghostwriter”. Someone who writes on behalf of another, typically remaining anonymous. Literally, “A sword-wielder at the head of the bed”.
During the Three Kingdoms period, the suspicious Cao Cao, wishing to present an imposing image when meeting an envoy from the Xiongnu, had the handsome Cui Jigui impersonate him for the reception.
Cao Cao himself, disguised as a guard, stood at the head of the bed (or couch) holding a sword.
After the meeting, he ordered a spy to ask the Xiongnu envoy about his impression of the King of Wei. The Xiongnu envoy remarked that the man holding the sword at the head of the bed was the true hero.

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Open the tool →床头捉刀人 (chuáng tóu zhuō dāo rén) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a ghostwriter”.
床头捉刀人 is pronounced chuáng tóu zhuō dāo rén in Mandarin Chinese.
Literally, 床头捉刀人 means “a sword-wielder at the head of the bed”. It is used to mean “a ghostwriter”.
床头捉刀人 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
床:指坐榻;捉刀人:指执刀的卫士。站在坐榻边的卫士。比喻替别人代笔作文的人