Chinese Fable

苦肉计🔊

Kǔ Ròu Jì
📚 Fables⏱ 3 min read🎧 Audio

This fable tells of injuring oneself to gain the enemys trust.

The Story 🔊

Sānguó shíqī Cáo Cāo shuàilǐng dàjūn nánxià
三国Sānguó🔊时期shíqī🔊曹操Cáo Cāo🔊率领shuàilǐng🔊大军dàjūn🔊南下nánxià🔊
Dōng Wú lǎojiàng Huáng Gài tíchū yòng kǔròujì
东吴Dōng Wú🔊老将lǎojiàng🔊黄盖Huáng Gài🔊提出tíchū🔊yòng🔊苦肉计kǔròujì🔊
Zhōu Yú gùyì dāngzhòng tòngdǎ Huáng Gài ràng tā jiǎ tóuxiáng Cáo Cāo
周瑜Zhōu Yú🔊故意gùyì🔊当众dāngzhòng🔊痛打tòngdǎ🔊黄盖Huáng Gài🔊让他ràng tā🔊假投降jiǎ tóuxiáng🔊曹操Cáo Cāo🔊
Cáo Cāo xiāngxìn le Huáng Gài de tóuxiáng
曹操Cáo Cāo🔊相信了xiāngxìn le🔊黄盖Huáng Gài🔊de🔊投降tóuxiáng🔊
Huáng Gài chènjī fànghuǒ shāohuǐ le Cáo jūn zhànchuán qǔdé le shènglì
黄盖Huáng Gài🔊趁机chènjī🔊放火fànghuǒ🔊烧毁了shāohuǐ le🔊曹军Cáo jūn🔊战船zhànchuán🔊取得了qǔdé le🔊胜利shènglì🔊
English Translation:
During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao led a large army south. The veteran general Huang Gai of Eastern Wu proposed using the Self-Injury Stratagem. Zhou Yu deliberately beat Huang Gai in public, allowing him to feign surrender to Cao Cao. Cao Cao believed Huang Gai's surrender. Huang Gai seized the opportunity to set fire and destroy Cao's warships, achieving victory.

Key Vocabulary

苦肉计
kǔ ròu jì
inflicting pain on oneself
投降
tóuxiáng
surrender
痛打
tòngdǎ
beat severely
放火
fànghuǒ
set fire
战船
zhànchuán
warship
趁机
chènjī
seize the opportunity

The Moral

Sometimes sacrifice is necessary for victory! This idiom means deliberately suffering to deceive the enemy.

Cultural Insight

苦肉计 is one of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, famously used at the Battle of Red Cliffs (赤壁之战).