摇鹅毛扇
yáo'é​máo​shàn

to mastermind a plot

  • created sense approved 摇鹅毛扇/搖鵝毛扇 · yáo'é​máo​shàn · to mastermind a plot — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    摇鹅毛扇 / 搖鵝毛扇

    yáo'é​máo​shàn

    to mastermind a plot

    to advise from behind the scenes; to act as a mastermind; based on the image of traditional military strategists in Chinese literature, like [[诸葛亮|諸葛亮|zhu1 ge3 liang4]], who are often depicted waving fans made of goose feathers.

    摇, 鹅毛扇

    摇 (literal) → 摇/搖 · yáo · to shake 鹅毛扇 (literal) → 鹅毛扇/鵝毛扇 · é​máo​shàn · mastermind; advisor

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense