"Lure the Tiger Out of the Mountains" literally means to find a way to make the tiger leave its original mountain. It is a metaphor for using a stratagem to entice the enemy away from its fortified stronghold or advantageous terrain, so as to seize the opportunity and achieve the goal of annihilating or defeating the enemy. This idiom comes from the ancient Chinese military treatise "The Thirty-Six Stratagems," where it is the fifteenth stratagem and belongs to the category of "offensive stratagems." Its core lies in exploiting the enemy's psychological weaknesses or creating illusions to induce the opponent to voluntarily give up its advantageous position, thereby turning passivity into initiative. In military affairs, it is often used as a strategy for the weak to defeat the strong; in everyday life, it can also be used metaphorically to describe using clever means to make someone leave their original position or post in order to get things done. This idiom has a clear flavor of strategy and is usually used to describe winning by intelligence rather than by brute force. Emotionally, it is mostly commendatory or neutral, emphasizing wisdom and strategy. When using it, attention should be paid to the context, and it should be avoided in describing unethical behavior.
📝 Example
1. The guerrillas used the strategy of luring the tiger out of its mountain lair—drawing the enemy's main force to the west, then seizing the opportunity to strike their undefended base. (Meaning: luring the enemy away from their stronghold in order to attack their vulnerable rear.)
2. In business negotiations, he deliberately threw out a small project to lure the tiger away from the mountain, diverting his opponent's attention, and thereby secured the truly big deal. (Meaning: using a stratagem to draw the other party away from a key position or distract them, so as to achieve one's own goal.)