金蝉脱壳

金蟬脫殼

jīnchán-tuōqiào

idiom #45,177

Meanings

HSK 7-9

嫌疑人使出金蝉脱壳之计，警察扑了空。

Xiányírén shǐ chū jīnchántuōqiào zhī jì, jǐngchá pū le kōng.

The suspect pulled off a cicada-shell escape, and the police came up empty.

HSK 7-9

他金蝉脱壳，留下替身应付债主。

Tā jīnchántuōqiào, liúxià tìshēn yìngfù zhàizhǔ.

He slipped away, leaving a stand-in to deal with the creditors.

culture

The 21st of the Thirty-Six Stratagems (三十六计): leave behind an empty shell so pursuers chase nothing while you escape.

memory

Picture the empty amber husk a cicada leaves on a tree - the body is long gone. That image is exactly the idiom.

金 jīn

蝉 chán

脱 tuō

壳 ké