假道灭虢 — “To borrow a passage to destroy a state”

假道灭虢 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to borrow a passage to destroy a state”. To use a pretext of convenience or cooperation to achieve a hidden agenda, often with the intent to harm or conquer a third party, and then turn against the initial helper. Literally, “Borrow the path to destroy Guo”.

Frequency

假道灭虢 Pronunciation and Pinyin

假道灭虢 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
假	jiǎ	11	fake, false, or holiday
道	dào	13	way, path, principle, say
灭	miè	5	extinguish, wipe out
虢	guó	15	ancient Chinese vassal state

Example Sentence with 假道灭虢

他声称是为了保护商队安全而向邻近的部落借道，实则为了探查地形，伺机吞并他们的领地，这真是假道灭虢的伎俩

He claimed to borrow a passage from the neighboring tribe to ensure the safety of his caravan, but in reality, he was surveying the terrain, waiting for an opportunity to annex their territory. This was truly a tactic of 'borrowing a path to destroy a state'.

Origin and Story of 假道灭虢

During the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Xian of Jin wanted to attack the state of Guo. To do this, he needed to pass through the state of Yu.

To secure permission, he sent precious horses and valuable gifts to the ruler of Yu. The ruler of Yu was greedy and ignored the advice of his minister, Gong Zhiqi, who warned him, 'Guo is a close neighbor of Yu. If Guo perishes, Yu will surely follow.' The ruler of Yu did not heed the warning and allowed the Jin army to pass.

As a result, Jin successfully destroyed Guo. Immediately after, the Jin army, still within Yu's borders, turned around and conquered Yu as well.