打草惊蛇

Pronunciation: dǎ cǎo jīng shé Literal meaning: Hit grass startle snake

Origin & Usage

A magistrate named Wang Lu, whose own hands were far from clean, was handed a petition accusing his clerk of taking bribes. He wrote on it: you may only have struck the grass (打草), but I am the snake already startled (蛇惊). The confession was accidental and the phrase has outlived him. It names the clumsy move that alerts the person you were hoping to catch unprepared, and it is used most often as a warning before acting — the reason for not asking the obvious question too early.

Examples

English: "By making a sudden move, he revealed his opponent's hidden plans."

Chinese: 通过突然的举动，他揭示了对手隐藏的计划。