伏兵

fúbīng

noun #35,971

Meanings

1 troops lying in ambush
2 hidden soldiers
3 an ambush force

Characters

to lie low; to hide

soldier; troops

Examples

山谷里设了伏兵。

Shāngǔ lǐ shè le fúbīng.

An ambush was laid in the valley.

敌军中了伏兵之计。

Díjūn zhòng le fúbīng zhī jì.

The enemy fell for the ambush ploy.

诸葛亮善于用伏兵。

Zhūgě Liàng shànyú yòng fúbīng.

Zhuge Liang was skilled at using ambushes.

Tips

history

A staple of classical military strategy and 三国演义 (Three Kingdoms) novels. The character 伏 means 'to lie low, prostrate' — literally 'soldiers lying low'. The pattern 设伏兵 (shè fúbīng, 'to set up an ambush') is the standard collocation.

Stroke Order

伏 fú

兵 bīng