假道伐虢

jiǎdào-fáguó

idiom

Meanings

1 to obtain safe passage in order to attack
2 to use one ally's territory to crush another
3 the third of the Thirty-Six Stratagems' 'invasion' set

Characters

to attack; to send a punitive expedition against

the State of Guo (Zhou-era kingdom)

Examples

他用假道伐虢的策略，先借盟友之力击败了对手。

Tā yòng jiǎdào-fáguó de cèlüè, xiān jiè méngyǒu zhī lì jībài le duìshǒu.

He used the 'borrow a path to conquer Guo' stratagem, leveraging an ally's resources to crush his rival first.

商场上假道伐虢的手段并不少见。

Shāngchǎng shàng jiǎdào-fáguó de shǒuduàn bìngbù shǎojiàn.

'Borrow-the-path' tactics are hardly rare in business.

Tips

history

From 《左传·僖公五年》: the state of Jin 晋 asked Yu 虞 for safe passage to attack Guo 虢. Once Guo fell, Jin's army turned around and conquered Yu on the way home. The cautionary partner idiom 唇亡齿寒 ('when the lips are gone, the teeth get cold') comes from the same episode.

culture

Listed as #24 in the 三十六计 (Thirty-Six Stratagems). The lesson: when a strong neighbor asks to 'pass through,' assume they're coming for you next.

Stroke Order

假 jiǎ

道 dào

伐 fá

虢 Guó