狐鸣鱼出 — “Fox cries, fish emerges”
狐鸣鱼出 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to subtly or strategically instigate and rally people for a cause or movement, often involving a degree of deception or artifice to gain support; to create momentum for an undertaking”. Literally, “Fox cries, fish emerges”.
狐鸣鱼出 Pronunciation and Pinyin
狐鸣鱼出 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 狐鸣鱼出
Origin and Story of 狐鸣鱼出
Towards the end of the Qin Dynasty, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were conscripted into the army. Their journey was delayed due to heavy rain, which was a capital offense at the time, leaving them no choice but to rebel.
Before initiating the rebellion, Chen Sheng consulted a fortune-teller. He wrote 'Chen Sheng Wang' (Chen Sheng is King) on a piece of white silk and secretly placed it inside a fish. At midnight, at an old temple, he covered a bonfire with a bamboo cage and then mimicked a fox's cry, chanting 'Chen Sheng Wang' to create a mysterious and auspicious atmosphere for the uprising.
The very next day, they launched their rebellion and successfully established the Zhang Chu regime.
Idioms Related to 狐鸣鱼出
Synonyms of 狐鸣鱼出
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 狐鸣鱼出
What does 狐鸣鱼出 mean?
狐鸣鱼出 (hú míng yú chū) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to subtly or strategically instigate and rally people for a cause or movement, often involving a degree of deception or artifice to gain support; to create momentum for an undertaking”.
How do you pronounce 狐鸣鱼出?
狐鸣鱼出 is pronounced hú míng yú chū in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 狐鸣鱼出 literally mean?
Literally, 狐鸣鱼出 means “Fox cries, fish emerges”. It is used to mean “to subtly or strategically instigate and rally people for a cause or movement, often involving a degree of deception or artifice to gain support; to create momentum for an undertaking”.
Where does 狐鸣鱼出 come from?
狐鸣鱼出 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 狐鸣鱼出?
鸣：叫。指动员众人起事