| 项庄舞剑，意在沛公 |
Xiàng Zhuāng wǔ jiàn , yì zài Pèi gōng |
lit. Xiang Zhuang performs the sword dance, but his mind is set on Liu Bang 刘邦 (idiom); refers to 206 BC plot to murder Liu Bang, aka Duke of Pei 沛公 and the future Han emperor, during a sword dance at the Hongmen feast 鸿门宴 / an elaborate deception to hide malicious intent |
| 项 |
Xiàng |
surname Xiang |
| 项 |
xiàng |
back of neck / item / thing / term (in a mathematical formula) / sum (of money) / classifier for principles, items, clauses, tasks, research projects etc |
| 项庄舞剑 |
Xiàng Zhuāng wǔ jiàn |
lit. Xiang Zhuang performs the sword dance, but his mind is set on Liu Bang 刘邦 (idiom, refers to plot to kill Liu Bang during the Hongmen feast 鸿门宴 in 206 BC) / fig. an elaborate deception hiding malicious intent |
| 庄 |
zhuāng |
variant of 庄 |
| 庄 |
Zhuāng |
surname Zhuang |
| 庄 |
zhuāng |
farmstead / village / manor / place of business / banker (in a gambling game) / grave or solemn / holdings of a landlord (in imperial China) |
| 舞 |
wǔ |
to dance / to wield / to brandish |
| 舞剑 |
wǔ jiàn |
to perform a sword-dance |
| 剑 |
jiàn |
double-edged sword / CL:口,把 / classifier for blows of a sword |
| 剑 |
jiàn |
variant of 剑 |
| 意 |
Yì |
Italy; Italian (abbr. for 意大利) |
| 意 |
yì |
idea / meaning / thought / to think / wish / desire / intention / to expect / to anticipate |
| 在 |
zài |
to exist; to be alive / (of sb or sth) to be (located) at / (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 沛 |
pèi |
copious / abundant |
| 沛公 |
Pèi gōng |
Duke of Pei (i.e. 刘邦) |
| 公 |
gōng |
public / collectively owned / common / international (e.g. high seas, metric system, calendar) / make public / fair / just / Duke, highest of five orders of nobility 五等爵位 / honorable (gentlemen) / father-in-law / male (animal) |