欲擒故纵
yù qín gù zòng
Pinyin

Definition

欲擒故纵
 - 
yù qín gù zòng
  1. In order to capture, one must let loose.
  2. to loosen the reins only to grasp them better

Character Decomposition

Related Words (20)

故事
gù shì
  1. 1 old practice
  2. 2 CL:個|个[gè]
一见如故
yī jiàn rú gù
  1. 1 familiarity at first sight
世故
shì gù
  1. 1 the ways of the world
事故
shì gù
  1. 1 accident
  2. 2 CL:樁|桩[zhuāng],起[qǐ],次[cì]
如故
rú gù
  1. 1 as before
  2. 2 as usual
  3. 3 (to be) like old friends
性欲
xìng yù
  1. 1 sexual desire
  2. 2 lust
欲
yù
  1. 1 desire
  2. 2 appetite
  3. 3 passion
  4. 4 lust
  5. 5 greed
欲望
yù wàng
  1. 1 desire
  2. 2 longing
  3. 3 appetite
  4. 4 craving
故
gù
  1. 1 happening
  2. 2 instance
  3. 3 reason
  4. 4 cause
  5. 5 intentional
  6. 6 former
  7. 7 old
  8. 8 friend
  9. 9 therefore
  10. 10 hence
  11. 11 (of people) to die, dead
故人
gù rén
  1. 1 old friend
  2. 2 the deceased
故作
gù zuò
  1. 1 to pretend
  2. 2 to feign
故地
gù dì
  1. 1 once familiar places
  2. 2 former haunts
故宫
Gù gōng
  1. 1 the Forbidden City
  2. 2 abbr. for 故宮博物院|故宫博物院[Gù gōng Bó wù yuàn]
故居
gù jū
  1. 1 former residence
故意
gù yì
  1. 1 deliberately
  2. 2 on purpose
故乡
gù xiāng
  1. 1 home
  2. 2 homeland
  3. 3 native place
  4. 4 CL:個|个[gè]
故障
gù zhàng
  1. 1 malfunction
  2. 2 breakdown
  3. 3 defect
  4. 4 shortcoming
  5. 5 fault
  6. 6 failure
  7. 7 impediment
  8. 8 error
  9. 9 bug (in software)
昏昏欲睡
hūn hūn yù shuì
  1. 1 drowsy
  2. 2 sleepy (idiom)
畅所欲言
chàng suǒ yù yán
  1. 1 lit. fluently saying all one wants (idiom); to preach freely on one's favorite topic
  2. 2 to hold forth to one's heart's content
欲罢不能
yù bà bù néng
  1. 1 want to stop but can't (idiom)
  2. 2 to be unable to stop oneself
  3. 3 to feel an urge to continue

Idioms (20)

一改故辙
yī gǎi gù zhé
  1. 1 complete change from the old rut (idiom); dramatic change of direction
  2. 2 a volte-face
  3. 3 to change old practices
他乡遇故知
tā xiāng yù gù zhī
  1. 1 meeting an old friend in a foreign place (idiom)
依然如故
yī rán rú gù
  1. 1 back to where we were (idiom); absolutely no improvement
  2. 2 Things haven't changed at all.
依然故我
yī rán gù wǒ
  1. 1 to be one's old self (idiom)
  2. 2 to be unchanged
  3. 3 (derog.) to be stuck in one's ways
利欲熏心
lì yù xūn xīn
  1. 1 blinded by greed (idiom)
吐故纳新
tǔ gù nà xīn
  1. 1 lit. to breathe out stale air and breathe in fresh (idiom, from Zhuangzi 庄子); fig. to get rid of the old and bring in the new
呼之欲出
hū zhī yù chū
  1. 1 lit. ready to appear at the call (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. on the verge of coming out into the open
  3. 3 (of a person's choice etc) on the point of being disclosed
  4. 4 (of an artistic depiction) vividly portrayed
喷薄欲出
pēn bó yù chū
  1. 1 to be on the verge of eruption (idiom)
  2. 2 (of the sun) to emerge in all its brilliance
垂涎欲滴
chuí xián yù dī
  1. 1 to drool with desire (idiom); to envy
  2. 2 to hunger for
工欲善其事，必先利其器
gōng yù shàn qí shì , bì xiān lì qí qì
  1. 1 To do a good job, an artisan needs the best tools (idiom). Good tools are prerequisite to the successful execution of a job
己所不欲，勿施于人
jǐ suǒ bù yù , wù shī yú rén
  1. 1 What you don't want done to you, don't do to others. (idiom, from the Confucian analects)
  2. 2 Do as you would be done by.
  3. 3 Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.
欲仙欲死
yù xiān yù sǐ
  1. 1 to wish one were dead (idiom)
  2. 2 (fig.) to be in seventh heaven
欲壑难填
yù hè nán tián
  1. 1 bottomless pit of desire (idiom); insatiable greed
  2. 2 carnal cravings are never satisfied and are a main obstruction on the path to enlightenment
我醉欲眠
wǒ zuì yù mián
  1. 1 lit. I'm drunk and would like to sleep (idiom)
  2. 2 (used to indicate one's sincere and straightforward nature)
手到擒来
shǒu dào qín lái
  1. 1 stretch a hand and grab it (idiom); very easy
擒贼擒王
qín zéi qín wáng
  1. 1 to defeat the enemy by capturing their chief (idiom)
攀亲道故
pān qīn dào gù
  1. 1 to use claims to kinship or friendship to climb socially (idiom)
故地重游
gù dì chóng yóu
  1. 1 to revisit old haunts (idiom); down memory lane
故步自封
gù bù zì fēng
  1. 1 stuck in the old ways (idiom); refusing to acknowledge new ideas
  2. 2 stagnating and conservative
明知故犯
míng zhī gù fàn
  1. 1 deliberate violation (idiom); intentional crime

Sample Sentences

别沮丧！我这不是正在帮你想新的计策嘛？啊！有了！还有一招，第十六计，欲擒故纵。
bié jǔsàng ！wǒ zhè bùshì zhèngzài bāng nǐ xiǎng xīn de jìcè ma ？ā ！yǒu le ！háiyǒu yī zhāo ，dì shí liù jì ，yùqíngùzòng 。
Don't get all depressed! I'm helping you think of a new strategy, aren't I? Ah! I've got it! Here's another trick. Strategy no. 16: loosen the reins to get a better grasp..
Go to Lesson 
是吗？来不及了，我现在用的是欲擒故纵，我走了啊！
shìma ？láibují le ，wǒ xiànzài yòng de shì yùqíngùzòng ，wǒ zǒu le ā ！
Really? It's too late, now I'm loosening the reins to get a better grasp. I'm out of here!
Go to Lesson