尔虞我诈Cheat Against Cheat

Cheat Against Cheat（成语 尔虞我诈 英文)

The troops of the State of Chu were going to withdraw after having failed to subdue the State of Song.

Shen Shushi the charioteer then proposed to the ruler of Chu:"Build houses on the battlefields and send farm-soldiers home to grow grain to sustain the protracted siege we have just begun. Eventually Song will have to surrender."

The ruler of Chu did as suggested. This alarmed Song and Hua Yuan was immediately charged with an important mission to go to the Chu camps at night. When Hua Yuan sneaked into the tent of the Chu commander Zi Fan, he dragged him out of the bed,saying:"I am sent by our ruler to tell you the truth about our precarious situation. But his message is "My people have been exchanging their children and killing them for food, and dismembering the skeletons to serve as fuel. Nevertheless, we'd rather all die than conclude any treaty with you under coercion. We shall never sign any thing imposed on us.' Therefore, I advise you to withdraw your troops thirty li and we shall be prepared to accept your dictated terms."

Zi Fan was shocked at Song's resolureness and agreed to negotiate. He told this to his sovereign, who gave orders to sound a retreat and withdraw thirty li as proposed.

Song and Chu soon began negotiations.Hua Yuan was then kept in the Chu camps as a hostage, and in the final agreement it was stated:"We shall not cheat you and you will not cheat us."

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(1) Its origin came from "We shall not cheat you and you will not cheat us", but it is generally used in the reverse.So this idiomatic expression has come to be "Cheat Against Cheat", "Plot and Connterplot" and the like.

尔虞我诈(chinese idioms)

楚国军队要撤离宋国 楚臣申叔时正为楚王驾车，他说：“修建房屋，把种田的人叫回来，宋国就一定会听从君王的命令。”楚王照他的话去做了。 宋人害怕起来，派华元在夜里潜入楚营，上了子反的床，把他叫起来说：“我们国君派我来把宋国的困难告诉你，说：“敝国人已经在交换孩子杀了吃，劈开尸骨烧火做饭。即使如此，兵临城下被逼签订的盟约，就算让国家灭亡，也不能答应。如果撤离我们三十里，宋国就一切听命。’”子反很害怕，就与华元 定了盟誓，并报告了楚庄王,楚军退兵三十里. 宋国与楚国讲和。华元当了人质。盟誓上说：“我不欺你，你不骗我。

尔虞我诈,比喻互相欺骗,互不信任。