树上开花

Pronunciation: shù shàng kāi huā Literal meaning: Flowers bloom on a tree

Origin & Usage

The twenty-ninth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems: where a tree (树) has no blossom, tie silk flowers (花) onto (上) it, and at a distance it appears to bloom (开). Applied to war, it means borrowing an appearance of strength you do not possess. The example usually given is Zhang Fei alone at the bridge on the Changban road, with his few horsemen dragging branches in the woods behind him to raise dust like an army in reserve. The whole force of the stratagem is that the deception must not be inspected, so it buys time rather than victory.

Examples

English: "His unexpected promotion was like flowers blooming on a tree, surprising everyone around him."

Chinese: 他的意外晋升就像树上开花，让周围的人都感到惊讶。