暗渡陈仓 — “To make a feint in one direction while attacking in another”

暗渡陈仓 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to make a feint in one direction while attacking in another”. To pretend to do one thing while secretly doing another to achieve a hidden purpose; to use a stratagem or deceptive maneuver. It can also metaphorically refer to a clandestine love affair. Literally, “secretly cross Chencang”.

Frequency

暗渡陈仓 Pronunciation and Pinyin

暗渡陈仓 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
暗	àn	13	dark, hidden, ignorant
渡	dù	12	cross over
陈	chén	8	display, old, state
仓	cāng	4	granary, warehouse, hurriedly

Example Sentence with 暗渡陈仓

为了成功推广新产品，销售团队决定暗渡陈仓，先在小范围内进行秘密测试，再突然全面发布

To successfully promote the new product, the sales team decided to make a feint in one direction while attacking in another, first conducting secret tests on a small scale before a sudden full launch.

Origin and Story of 暗渡陈仓

At the end of the Qin Dynasty, after Xiang Yu annihilated Qin, he proclaimed himself Overlord of Western Chu. He reneged on the agreement that whoever first entered Xianyang would be king, which greatly displeased Liu Bang.

Liu Bang then led his troops into Sichuan, burning the plank roads of Bashu along the way, and was enfeoffed as the King of Han.

With the help of Han Xin, Liu Bang openly pretended to repair the plank roads. However, secretly, he took a detour to easily capture Zhang Han, a general under Xiang Yu.

This clever maneuver allowed him to then seize control of the Central Plains and become king.