"Secretly Crossing at Chencang" comes from the Records of the Grand Historian: Basic Annals of Emperor Gaozu. It originally referred to the period of the Chu-Han Contention, when Liu Bang adopted Han Xin's stratagem: on the surface, he built plank roads to mislead Xiang Yu, while secretly leading his troops through the small path at Chencang to launch a surprise attack, thereby pacifying the Three Qin regions in one stroke. Today, this idiom is often used as a metaphor for making a move on the surface to mislead one's opponent while secretly taking another unexpected action to achieve one's goal. It emphasizes the covertness and suddenness of strategy and is mostly used in military affairs, business competition, political maneuvering, or scenarios of clever one-upmanship in daily life. The idiom carries a clearly positive or neutral connotation and is often used to praise someone for being skilled in strategy and winning by surprise. When using it, note that its core lies in the coordination between "openly building" and "secretly crossing," that is, using public action to conceal one's true intention.
📝 Example
1. Our competitors thought we would play games with pricing, but little did they expect us to pull off a feint and directly launch a brand-new technological solution, seizing the market initiative. (Referring to taking unexpected actions in secret)
2. On the surface, he agreed to cooperate, but secretly he pulled off a feint, transferring the core technology to his own company. (Referring to misleading the other party with a false appearance while secretly having other intentions)