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调虎离山

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: diào hǔ lí shān
  • English Translation: Luring the tiger away from the mountain (drawing the enemy out of their stronghold)
  • Idiom Composition: 「调」（To move, shift, or transfer）＋「虎」（Tiger (a metaphor for a powerful enemy or obstacle)）＋「离」（To leave or separate from）＋「山」（Mountain (a metaphor for the enemy's stronghold or advantageous environment)）
  • Meaning: A strategy of enticing an opponent to leave their advantageous position or stronghold, making them vulnerable and easier to attack or defeat. It is one of the famous Thirty-Six Stratagems (三十六计).

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「调虎离山」 contains the following nuances:

  • Depriving the Advantageous Environment: When an opponent is too powerful to face head-on, the goal is to strip them of their 'fortified position' or 'base of power' before engaging.
  • Deceptive Maneuvers: This strategy often involves deception, such as using decoys or spreading false information, to make the opponent move of their own volition.

3. Usage

「调虎离山」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Business & Negotiation: Used when luring a negotiation partner away from their 'home ground' (like their own office) to gain a psychological advantage in a neutral or 'away' environment.
    • Example:「为了在谈判中占据主动，他用了调虎离山之计，把对方代表约到了自己的公司。」
      （To gain the upper hand in negotiations, he used the strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain by inviting the opposing representative to his own office.)
  • Crime & Security: Refers to tactics where a criminal lures a resident out of their home or draws security guards away from their post to leave a target unguarded.
    • Example:「小偷故意弄响警报器，想来个调虎离山，引开保安。」
      （The thief intentionally set off the alarm, attempting to lure the tiger away from the mountain and draw the security guards away.)
  • Sports & Gaming: In sports like soccer or basketball, it refers to a tactic where a player draws a defender away from the goal to create space for teammates.
    • Example:「前锋通过跑位实施调虎离山，为队友创造了射门机会。」
      （The forward made a run to lure the tiger away from the mountain, drawing the defenders away and creating a scoring opportunity for his teammate.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 这显然是敌人的调虎离山之计，我们千万不能离开阵地。
    （This is clearly the enemy's tactic of luring the tiger away from the mountain; we must not leave our positions.）
  2. 警察用调虎离山的方法，成功将嫌疑人引出了藏身之处。
    （The police used the method of luring the tiger away from the mountain to successfully draw the suspect out of his hiding place.）
  3. 他在会议上故意激怒对手，想用调虎离山计让对方失态。
    （He deliberately provoked his opponent during the meeting, hoping to lure the tiger away from the mountain and cause them to lose their composure.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Thirty-Six Stratagems (三十六计): 调虎离山 (diào hǔ lí shān) is the 15th of the Thirty-Six Stratagems (三十六计). The original text suggests waiting for the right timing to trouble the enemy and using human decoys to entice them out of natural strongholds.
  • Literary Sources: This idiom appears frequently in classic Chinese literature, such as Journey to the West (西游记) and Investiture of the Gods (封神演义). In Journey to the West (西游记), demons often use this tactic to separate Sun Wukong (孙悟空) from Tang Sanzang (唐三藏).
  • Modern Nuance: Beyond its military origins, it is a common term in modern Chinese for any tactical diversion used in daily life, sports, or competitive games.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

  • Similar Idioms:
    • 声东击西 (shēng dōng jī xī): Making a feint to the east while attacking in the west; a general diversionary tactic.
    • 引蛇出洞 (yǐn shé chū dòng): Luring the snake out of its hole; enticing a hidden villain or enemy to reveal themselves.
  • Opposite Idioms:
    • 放虎归山 (fàng hǔ guī shān): Releasing the tiger back to the mountain; letting a threat go free, which leads to greater harm later.

6. Summary

The idiom 调虎离山 (diào hǔ lí shān) refers to luring a powerful enemy away from their base of strength to make them vulnerable. While it originates from ancient military strategy, it is now widely used in business negotiations, sports tactics, and security contexts to describe any 'decoy' or 'diversionary' maneuver.

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Level 1

Idiom Essay

diào hǔ lí shān
调虎离山
Luring the Tiger out of the Mountains
miàn duì面对yí gè一个qiáng dà强大de的duì shǒu对手，huò zhě或者yí gè一个jí shǒu棘手de的nán tí难题，zuì最bèn笨de的bàn fǎ办法shì是shén me什么？

When facing a powerful opponent or a thorny problem, what is the most foolish approach?

kě néng可能jiù shì就是——yìng pèng yìng硬碰硬。

It is likely—head-on confrontation.

yóu qí尤其shì是dāng当duì fāng对方zhèng正chù zài处在zuì最yǒu lì有利de的wèi zhì位置，huò zhě或者yōng yǒu拥有jué duì绝对yōu shì优势de的shí hòu时候，zhí jiē直接chōng冲shàng qù上去，wǎng wǎng往往zhǐ只huì会ràng让zì jǐ自己shòu shāng受伤。

Especially when the other party is in the most favorable position or possesses an absolute advantage, rushing in directly often only results in getting hurt.

cōng míng聪明de的zuò fǎ做法，bú shì不是gǎi biàn改变duì shǒu对手de的qiáng ruò强弱，ér shì而是gǎi biàn改变duì shǒu对手de的“wèi zhì位置”。

The smart approach is not to change the opponent's strength, but to change the opponent's "position."

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个fēi cháng非常jīng diǎn经典de的chéng yǔ成语，zhuān mén专门xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种zhì huì智慧，jiào叫“diào hǔ lí shān调虎离山”。

In Chinese, there is a classic idiom that specifically describes this wisdom, called 调虎离山.

zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语de的huà miàn画面gǎn感fēi cháng非常qiáng强。

This idiom has a very strong sense of imagery.

“diào调”，shì是diào dòng调动、yǐn yòu引诱；“hǔ虎”，shì是lǎo hǔ老虎。

调 means to move or lure; 虎 means tiger.

xiǎng xiàng想象yī xià一下：yī zhī一只lǎo hǔ老虎pán jù盘踞zài在shēn shān深山lǐ里。

Imagine: a tiger is entrenched deep in the mountains.

nà那shì是tā它de的dì pán地盘，tā它shú xī熟悉měi yī tiáo每一条lù路，yǒu有mào mì茂密de的shù lín树林zuò做yǎn hù掩护。

That is its territory; it knows every path and has dense forests for cover.

zài在nà那zuò座shān山shàng上，tā它shì是wú dí无敌de的。

On that mountain, it is invincible.

rú guǒ如果nǐ你xiǎng想dǎ bài打败tā它，chōng冲jìn进shān山lǐ里jué duì绝对bú shì不是hǎo好zhǔ yì主意。

If you want to defeat it, rushing into the mountains is definitely not a good idea.

wéi yī唯一de的bàn fǎ办法，shì是xiǎng想gè个jì cè计策，bǎ把tā它yǐn引chū lái出来，ràng让tā它lí kāi离开nà那zuò座bǎo hù保护tā它de的“shān山”，qù去dào到yí gè一个píng tǎn平坦、mò shēng陌生de的dì fāng地方。

The only way is to devise a strategy to lure it out, making it leave the mountain that protects it and go to a flat, unfamiliar place.

yí dàn一旦lí kāi离开le了“shān山”，lǎo hǔ老虎de的wēi lì威力yě也jiù就jiǎn减le了yí bàn一半。

Once it leaves the 山, the tiger's power is halved.

zài在xiàn dài现代shēng huó生活zhōng中，wǒ men我们suī rán虽然bù zài不再dǎ zhàng打仗，dàn但zhè ge这个cè lüè策略yī rán依然hěn很yǒu yòng有用。

In modern life, although we no longer fight wars, this strategy is still very useful.

zhè lǐ这里de的“lǎo hǔ老虎”，bù不yí dìng一定shì是yí gè一个dí rén敌人，yě也kě yǐ可以shì是yī zhǒng一种wán gù顽固de的zǔ lì阻力。

The 虎 here is not necessarily an enemy; it can also be a stubborn resistance.

ér而“shān山”，jiù shì就是nà ge那个ràng让tā他gǎn dào感到ān quán安全、yǒu有quán lì权力、huò zhě或者gù zhí jǐ jiàn固执己见de的huán jìng环境。

And the 山 is the environment that makes them feel safe, powerful, or opinionated.

bǐ rú比如，nǐ你xiǎng想hé和yí gè一个hěn nán很难shuō huà说话de的rén人tán pàn谈判。

For example, you want to negotiate with a person who is difficult to talk to.

rú guǒ如果zài在tā他nà jiān那间yán sù严肃de的bàn gōng shì办公室lǐ里tán谈，zuò坐zài在tā他de的dà大yǐ zi椅子duì miàn对面，tā他kě néng可能cùn bù bù ràng寸步不让，yīn wèi因为nà那shì是tā他de的“zhǔ chǎng主场”。

If you talk in their serious office, sitting across from their big chair, they might not budge an inch because that is their "home field."

dàn但rú guǒ如果nǐ你néng能bǎ把tā他yuē约chū lái出来，qù去yí gè一个qīng sōng轻松de的kā fēi guǎn咖啡馆，huò zhě或者yí gè一个wán quán完全mò shēng陌生de的huán jìng环境，nǐ你huì会fā xiàn发现，tā他de的tài dù态度kě néng可能tū rán突然jiù就ruǎn huà软化le了。

But if you can invite them out to a relaxed cafe or a completely unfamiliar environment, you will find that their attitude might suddenly soften.

wèi shén me为什么？

Why?

yīn wèi因为nǐ你yòng用“diào hǔ lí shān调虎离山”，ràng让tā他lí kāi离开le了nà ge那个ràng让tā他qiáng shì强势de的“qì chǎng气场”。

Because you used 调虎离山 to make them leave the "aura" that makes them strong.

suǒ yǐ所以，“diào hǔ lí shān调虎离山”jiào教gěi给wǒ men我们de的，bù jǐn jǐn不仅仅shì是yí gè一个jì móu计谋。

Therefore, 调虎离山 teaches us more than just a tactic.

tā它gèng更xiàng像shì是yī zhǒng一种duì对“huán jìng环境”de的shēn kè深刻lǐ jiě理解。

It is more like a profound understanding of "environment."

tā它tí xǐng提醒wǒ men我们：hěn duō很多shí hòu时候，kùn nán困难zhī suǒ yǐ之所以nán难，shì是yīn wèi因为tā它dài待zài在ràng让tā它biàn变nán难de的dì fāng地方。

It reminds us: many times, a difficulty is difficult because it stays in the place that makes it difficult.

zhǐ yào只要huàn换gè个wèi zhì位置，yě xǔ也许yī qiè一切jiù就dōu都yǒu有le了zhuǎn jī转机。

As long as you change the position, perhaps everything will take a turn for the better.

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