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
(Pinyin): jǐnnángmiàojì
(Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄣˇ ㄋㄤˊ ㄇㄧㄠˋ ㄐㄧˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): gam² nong⁴ miu⁶ gai³
Min Nan (POJ): gím-lông-biāu-kè

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): /t͡ɕin²¹⁴⁻²¹¹ nɑŋ³⁵ mjɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - 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/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: gím-lông-biāu-kè
  - Tâi-lô: gím-lông-biāu-kè
  - Phofsit Daibuun: gymlongbiauxkex
  - IPA (Xiamen): /ɡim⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lɔŋ²⁴⁻²² biau²²⁻²¹ ke²¹/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /ɡim⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ lɔŋ²⁴⁻²² biau⁴¹⁻²² ke⁴¹/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /ɡim⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lɔŋ¹³⁻²² biau²²⁻²¹ ke²¹/
  - IPA (Taipei): /ɡim⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ biau³³⁻¹¹ ke¹¹/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɡim⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ lɔŋ²³⁻³³ biau³³⁻²¹ ke²¹/

Idiom

錦囊妙計

bag of tricks; cunning masterplan

Descendants

→ Korean: 비단 주머니 (bidan jumeoni) (calque)