Definition
苦肉计 is one of the 36 Stratagems, originating from the story of Zhou Yu and Huang Gai in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It refers to a scheme where someone deliberately injures themselves or pretends to suffer in order to gain the enemy's trust and carry out a deception. In modern usage, it describes any confidence trick where the perpetrator feigns self-sacrifice to win sympathy or trust.
n.
confidence gamefeigning self-sacrifice to win trust
Examples
- 苦肉计，。Tā yòng le kǔ ròu jì, jiǎzhuāng shòushāng lái piànqǔ tóngqíng.He used the stratagem of feigning self-sacrifice, pretending to be injured to win sympathy.
- 苦肉计。Zhège piànjú qíshí shì yí gè jīngdiǎn de kǔ ròu jì.This scam is actually a classic confidence game.
- 苦肉计，。Duìshǒu shípò le wǒmen de kǔ ròu jì, jìhuà shībài le.The opponent saw through our self-sacrifice trick, and the plan failed.
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