鸿门宴 — “A treacherous banquet or a gathering arranged with malicious intent”

鸿门宴 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a treacherous banquet or a gathering arranged with malicious intent”. Where a guest is invited under false pretenses with the aim of harming them. It signifies a dangerous situation disguised as a friendly or harmless occasion. Literally, “Hongmen Banquet”.

Frequency

鸿门宴 Pronunciation and Pinyin

鸿门宴 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
鸿	hóng	11	wild goose, vast, or letter
门	mén	3	door, gate, entrance
宴	yàn	10	hold a banquet or feast

Example Sentence with 鸿门宴

这次项目合作的洽谈，表面上看起来很顺利，但大家都隐隐觉得这像是一场鸿门宴，需要格外小心。

The negotiations for this project collaboration appeared smooth on the surface, but everyone subtly felt it was like a Hongmen Banquet, requiring extreme caution.

Origin and Story of 鸿门宴

In 206 BC, Xiang Yu led a large army into the Hangu Pass and stationed them at Hongmen, intending to eliminate Liu Bang.

Through the mediation of Xiang Yu's uncle, Xiang Bo, Liu Bang personally went to Hongmen to meet Xiang Yu, who hosted a banquet for him.

During the feast, Fan Zeng, Xiang Yu's strategist, ordered Xiang Zhuang to perform a sword dance, secretly looking for an opportunity to assassinate Liu Bang.

Sensing the danger, Xiang Bo also drew his sword and joined the dance, subtly shielding Liu Bang.

Liu Bang seized the opportunity to excuse himself to the lavatory and, under the cover of Fan Kuai and others, escaped back to his main camp.