The "Empty Fort Strategy" originates from the story in Romance of the Three Kingdoms where Zhuge Liang repelled the enemy by presenting an empty fort. Originally, it referred to a tactic of deliberately showing vulnerability to the enemy in a critical situation, causing them to suspect an ambush and retreat. Nowadays, it is mostly used as a metaphor for a strategy of using bluffing and creating false appearances to confuse the opponent when one's strength is lacking or the situation is unfavorable, thereby resolving a crisis. This idiom emphasizes winning through wisdom rather than direct confrontation, and is often used in military affairs, business competition, or everyday strategic interactions. Its emotional tone is relatively neutral, sometimes carrying a positive connotation of praising cleverness, and sometimes a negative connotation of referring to deception. In terms of cultural background, it reflects the dialectical thinking in ancient Chinese military strategy that "when weak, appear strong; when strong, appear weak," as well as the cultural symbol of Zhuge Liang's resourcefulness. When using it, attention should be paid to the context to avoid misusing it as mere deception.
📝 Example
1. When the company's capital chain broke, he had no choice but to stage an "empty city stratagem," pretending that a large investment was about to arrive, thereby temporarily pacifying the suppliers. (Meaning: using a false show of strength to conceal actual weakness and mislead the other party.)
2. Facing the enemy's fierce attack, our army employed the "empty city stratagem," deliberately opening the city gates. Suspecting an ambush, the enemy indeed did not dare to advance rashly. (Meaning: using a bluff to deceive the enemy.)