"Borrowing a Road to Attack Guo" comes from the Zuo Commentary, Lord Xi, Fifth Year. It originally refers to Duke Xian of Jin borrowing a route through the State of Yu to attack the State of Guo, and after destroying Guo, turning his troops back and destroying Yu as well. Jia: borrow; dao: road; fa: attack; Guo: a feudal state during the Spring and Autumn period. The deeper meaning of this idiom is: using the pretext of borrowing a road while actually seeking to eliminate the other party; it also broadly refers to using some nominal cover to conceal one's true intention and ultimately achieve the goal of annexing or striking a third party. It is often used in competitive settings such as politics, military affairs, and business to describe a cunning and insidious strategy. In terms of cultural background, it reflects the power struggles and schemes among ancient feudal states and is one of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, emphasizing the use of the other party's greed for small gains or credulity to achieve one's own strategic goals. Its emotional coloring is pejorative, and it is mostly used to expose or warn against others' calculating behavior. When used, it can refer to diplomatic deception between states, and can also be a metaphor for scheming between individuals or groups.
📝 Example
1. On the surface, he cooperated with the other company, but in reality he was borrowing a passage to conquer Guo, ultimately swallowing up that small business. (Referring to using cooperation as a pretext to carry out annexation.)
2. Historically, many powerful nations have often used "aid" as an excuse to borrow a passage to conquer Guo, interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. (Referring to using the name of aid to carry out control or aggression.)