苦肉计

Pronunciation: kǔ ròu jì Literal meaning: Suffering flesh plan

Origin & Usage

The idiom 苦肉计 (kǔ ròu jì) originates from the classic Chinese novel 《三国演义》 (Romance of the Three Kingdoms) by Luo Guanzhong. It tells the story of a clever strategy devised by Zhou Yu and Huang Gai during the Battle of Red Cliffs. To deceive the warlord Cao Cao, Huang Gai volunteered to endure a severe beating (苦, suffering; 肉, flesh) to feign defection. This act of self-sacrifice convinced Cao Cao of Huang Gai's sincerity, allowing the allied forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei to execute a successful fire attack on Cao Cao's fleet. The idiom illustrates a tactic where one endures self-inflicted harm to gain an opponent's trust. In modern usage, 苦肉计 is employed to describe situations where individuals endure hardship to achieve a greater strategic goal.

Examples

English: "To gain the upper hand, he resorted to the bitter meat strategy, sacrificing a small asset to secure a larger victory."

Chinese: 为了获得优势，他采用了苦肉计，牺牲了一个小资产以换取更大的胜利。