项庄舞剑，意在沛公
Traditional: 項莊舞劍，意在沛公Dictionary entry
lit. Xiang Zhuang performs the sword dance, but his mind is set on Liu Bang 劉邦|刘邦[Liu2 Bang1] (idiom); refers to 206 BC plot to murder Liu Bang, aka Duke of Pei 沛公[Pei4 gong1] and the future Han emperor, during a sword dance at the Hongmen feast 鴻門宴|鸿门宴[Hong2 men2 yan4]
What does 项庄舞剑，意在沛公 mean?
项庄舞剑，意在沛公 (Xiàng Zhuāng wǔ jiàn , yì zài Pèi gōng) has the following dictionary meaning.
1lit. Xiang Zhuang performs the sword dance, but his mind is set on Liu Bang 劉邦|刘邦[Liu2 Bang1] (idiom); refers to 206 BC plot to murder Liu Bang, aka Duke of Pei 沛公[Pei4 gong1] and the future Han emperor, during a sword dance at the Hongmen feast 鴻門宴|鸿门宴[Hong2 men2 yan4]
2an elaborate deception to hide malicious intent
Character breakdown
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项Xiàngsurname Xiang庄zhuāngvariant of 莊|庄[zhuang1]舞wǔto dance · to wield剑jiàndouble-edged sword · CL:口[kou3],把[ba3]意yì(bound form) idea; thought; meaning; sense · (bound form) intention; feeling; inclination; state of mind在zàito exist; to be alive · (of sb or sth) to be (located) at沛pèicopious · abundant公gōngpublic · collectively owned
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How to pronounce 项庄舞剑，意在沛公
项庄舞剑，意在沛公
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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.