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金蝉脱壳

金蟬脫殼
jīnchántuōqiào
idiom #45,177

Meanings

  1. 1 the cicada sheds its shell
  2. 2 a crafty escape plan
  3. 3 to slip away leaving a decoy behind

Examples

嫌疑人使出金蝉脱壳之计，警察扑了空。
Xiányírén shǐ chū jīn chán tuō qiào zhī jì, jǐngchá pū le kōng.
The suspect pulled off a cicada-shell escape, and the police came up empty.
他金蝉脱壳，留下替身应付债主。
Tā jīn chán tuō qiào, liú xià tìshēn yìngfù zhàizhǔ.
He slipped away, leaving a stand-in to deal with the creditors.

Tips

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.

Stroke Order

金 jīn
蝉 chán
脱 tuō
壳 ké