出其不意 (chū qí bù yì) — catch someone off guard; take someone by surprise
Definition
A chengyu meaning to catch someone off guard, often used for military or competitive tactics. Synonymous in sense with 攻其不备, but this one emphasizes the element of surprise, while 攻其不备 stresses exploiting an unprepared opponent.
idiom
catch someone off guardtake someone by surprise
Examples
- 出其不意，。Wǒ jūn chū qí bù yì, fā dòng le yè jiān tū xí.Our army launched a night raid, catching them off guard.
- 出其不意，。Miàn shì guān wèn le yí gè chū qí bù yì de wèn tí, tā yì shí méi dá shàng lái.The interviewer asked a question that caught him off guard, and he couldn't answer right away.
- ，出其不意，。Yào xiǎng zài shāng zhàn zhōng qǔ shèng, jiù yào xué huì chū qí bù yì, xiān fā zhì rén.To win in business competition, you need to learn to catch competitors by surprise and strike first.
Appears in
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