錦囊妙計
Chinese
| silk brocade bag | brilliant scheme; excellent plan; wonderful idea | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (錦囊妙計) | 錦囊 | 妙計 | |
| simp. (锦囊妙计) | 锦囊 | 妙计 | |
Etymology
From an episode in the fourteenth-century novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in which the strategist Zhuge Liang gives the general Zhao Yun—who is escorting the protagonist Liu Bei to the neighboring realm of Wu, ruled by Sun Quan―three brocade pouches containing cunning instructions on how to thwart Sun Quan's schemes to keep Liu Bei hostage.
Pronunciation
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Hanyu Pinyin: jǐnnángmiàojì
- Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄣˇ ㄋㄤˊ ㄇㄧㄠˋ ㄐㄧˋ
- Tongyong Pinyin: jǐnnángmiàojì
- Wade–Giles: chin3-nang2-miao4-chi4
- Yale: jǐn-náng-myàu-jì
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jiinnangmiawjih
- Palladius: цзиньнанмяоцзи (czinʹnanmjaoczi)
- Sinological IPA (key): /t͡ɕin²¹⁴⁻²¹ nɑŋ³⁵ mi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi⁵¹/
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: gam2 nong4 miu6 gai3
- Yale: gám nòhng miuh gai
- Cantonese Pinyin: gam2 nong4 miu6 gai3
- Guangdong Romanization: gem2 nong4 miu6 gei3
- Sinological IPA (key): /kɐm³⁵ nɔːŋ²¹ miːu̯²² kɐi̯³³/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: gím-lông-biāu-kè
- Tâi-lô: gím-lông-biāu-kè
- Phofsit Daibuun: gymlongbiauxkex
- Sinological IPA (Xiamen): /ɡim⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lɔŋ²⁴⁻²² biau²²⁻²¹ ke²¹/
- Sinological IPA (Quanzhou): /ɡim⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ lɔŋ²⁴⁻²² biau⁴¹⁻²² ke⁴¹/
- Sinological IPA (Zhangzhou): /ɡim⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lɔŋ¹³⁻²² biau²²⁻²¹ ke²¹/
- Sinological IPA (Taipei): /ɡim⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ biau³³⁻¹¹ ke¹¹/
- Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɡim⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ lɔŋ²³⁻³³ biau³³⁻²¹ ke²¹/
- (Hokkien)
Idiom
錦囊妙計
Descendants
- → Korean: 비단 주머니 (bidan jumeoni) (calque)