狐鸣鱼书 — “Fox's cry and fish's letter”
狐鸣鱼书 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a tactic used by instigators or rebels to mobilize the masses, often involving deceptive or superstitious means to create a sense of legitimacy or divine backing; to create momentum for an uprising by fabricating omens”. Literally, “fox's cry and fish's letter”.
狐鸣鱼书 Pronunciation and Pinyin
狐鸣鱼书 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 狐鸣鱼书
Origin and Story of 狐鸣鱼书
Towards the end of the Qin Dynasty, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were conscripted into the army. Due to heavy rain, their journey was delayed, a capital offense, forcing them to rebel.
Before the uprising, Chen Sheng decided to create omens to gain support. He wrote 'Chen Sheng Wang' (Chen Sheng is King) on a piece of white silk and secretly placed it inside a fish. When people bought and ate the fish, they discovered the message.
Then, in the middle of the night, Chen Sheng set up a bonfire in an old temple, covered it with a bamboo cage, and imitated a fox's cry, repeatedly shouting 'Chen Sheng Wang'. These acts were designed to create a sense of divine mandate and momentum for the uprising.
The very next day, they launched their rebellion and established the Zhang Chu regime.
Idioms Related to 狐鸣鱼书
Synonyms of 狐鸣鱼书
More idioms starting with 狐
- hú狐bù不èr二xióng雄Two dominant figures cannot coexist
- hú狐jiǎ假hǔ虎wēi威exploit another's power to intimidate
- hú狐jiǎ假chī鸱zhāng张swagger with borrowed authority
- hú狐tù兔zhī之bēi悲sorrow for one's own kind
- hú狐píng凭shǔ鼠fú伏to lurk or hide in secret
- hú狐tīng听zhī之shēng声subtle sound of water flowing under ice
- hú狐chàng唱xiāo枭hé和bad people colluding or echoing
- hú狐mái埋hú狐yáng扬overly suspicious and indecisive
- hú狐mái埋hú狐hú搰overly suspicious and indecisive
- hú狐bēn奔shǔ鼠cuàn窜flee in a panic
- hú狐mèi媚yuán猿pān攀fawn and climb unscrupulously
- hú狐mèi媚yǎn魇dào道seductive and bewitching conduct
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Open the tool →Questions about 狐鸣鱼书
What does 狐鸣鱼书 mean?
狐鸣鱼书 (hú míng yú shū) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a tactic used by instigators or rebels to mobilize the masses, often involving deceptive or superstitious means to create a sense of legitimacy or divine backing; to create momentum for an uprising by fabricating omens”.
How do you pronounce 狐鸣鱼书?
狐鸣鱼书 is pronounced hú míng yú shū in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 狐鸣鱼书 literally mean?
Literally, 狐鸣鱼书 means “fox's cry and fish's letter”. It is used to mean “a tactic used by instigators or rebels to mobilize the masses, often involving deceptive or superstitious means to create a sense of legitimacy or divine backing; to create momentum for an uprising by fabricating omens”.
Where does 狐鸣鱼书 come from?
狐鸣鱼书 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 狐鸣鱼书?
指起事者动员群众的措施。