CHENGYU
锦囊妙计(jǐn náng miào jì)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary
- Source:
- 明·罗贯中《三国演义》
MEANING
- Literal
- clever plans in a brocade pouch
- Figurative meaning
- a ready-made clever solution for a crisis
ORIGIN STORY
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhuge Liang handed Zhao Yun three brocade pouches, each holding a plan for a moment of crisis during the trip to Wu. The phrase means having the perfect trick ready when trouble comes.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“a trick up one's sleeve”
EXAMPLES
遇到难题别慌，我这有条锦囊妙计。Yù dào nántí bié huāng, wǒ zhè yǒu tiáo jǐn náng miào jì.HSK6
Do not panic when trouble comes — I have a plan in the pouch for you.
团队想出一条锦囊妙计，解决了大问题。Tuánduì xiǎng chū yì tiáo jǐn náng miào jì, jiějué le dà wèntí.HSK6
The team produced a pouch-worthy plan that solved the big problem.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: The plan is prepared in advance for a specific crisis — not any good idea.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01