"Feigning repairs on the plank road while secretly marching through Chencang" originates from the Records of the Grand Historian: The Biographies of the Marquis of Huaiyin. It tells how Han Xin devised a strategy for Liu Bang: on the surface, he sent troops to repair the burned plank roads to attract the enemy's attention, while secretly leading the main force through the small path at Chencang to launch a surprise attack, thus pacifying the Three Qin in one stroke. This idiom is used to describe misleading one's opponent with overt actions while concealing one's true intentions or movements in order to achieve a surprise effect. It is often used in military affairs, business competition, political maneuvering, or everyday strategy, emphasizing a tactic of presenting one face while acting behind the scenes. Culturally, it embodies the wisdom of ancient Chinese military strategists that "war knows no rules of honesty," and its emotional tone is neutral: it can be used to praise brilliant strategy or to criticize cunning methods. When used, it usually refers to planned deceptive action rather than simple lying.
📝 Example
1. In business negotiations, he pulled a "feint east, attack west" move—publicly promoting cooperation intentions while quietly acquiring the other party's equity. (Referring to putting on one posture on the surface while carrying out another action in secret.)
2. The team coach used a "feint east, attack west" tactic—releasing news before the match that key players were injured, but actually starting the core players, catching the opponent off guard. (Referring to using a false impression to mislead the opponent and conceal one's true tactics.)