明修栈道，暗渡陈仓 in English ming2 xiu1 zhan4 dao4 , an4 du4 Chen2 cang1 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) repair the plank road by day while secretly crossing the Wei River 渭河[Wei4 He2] at Chencang (idiomatic expression, refers to a stratagem used by Liu Bang 劉邦|刘邦[Liu2 Bang1] in 206 BC (Before Christ) against Xiang Yu 項羽|项羽[Xiang4 Yu3] of Chu)
  • metaphorically to feign one thing while doing another
  • to cheat under cover of a diversion

Simplified Characters

明 修 栈 道 ， 暗 渡 陈 仓

Traditional Characters

明 修 棧 道 ， 暗 渡 陳 倉

Pinyin

ming2 xiu1 zhan4 dao4 , an4 du4 Chen2 cang1

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

明ming2Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) 修xiu1surname Xiu 栈zhan4a wooden or bamboo pen for sheep or cattle 道dao4road ， 暗an4variant of 暗[an4] 渡du4to cross 陈chen2surname Chen 仓cang1barn