调虎离山

Pronunciation: diào hǔ lí shān Literal meaning: Lure tiger from mountain

Origin & Usage

The fifteenth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, and the illustration usually given is Sun Ce against Liu Xun, whose position was too strong to attack directly. Sun Ce sent gifts and flattery, urging Liu Xun to go and take a rich neighbouring prize; Liu Xun marched out, and Sun Ce took the base he had left behind. Luring (调) the tiger (虎) away from (离) its mountain (山) is the whole idea — an opponent formidable in position and ordinary out of it, so the work is done by the invitation rather than by the fight.

Examples

English: "To distract the competitor, she created a diversion that allowed her team to gain the upper hand."

Chinese: 为了分散竞争对手的注意力，她制造了一个转移，帮助团队占据了上风。