聲東擊西
简 声东击西 · 繁 聲東擊西Meanings
- to threaten the east and strike to the west (idiom)
- to create a diversion
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Mandarin tones
1–1–1–1 · sheng1 dong1 ji1 xi1
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
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Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
聲東擊西 · find source passages ↗ · 声东击西 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
sing1 dung1 gik1 sai1
Cantonese word readings for 聲東擊西. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (military) during a battle, to create the illusion of assaulting a target, while the true goal is to assault another target where it's least expected
- (by extension, figuratively) to confuse someone in order to conceal the real motive behind something
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
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