欲擒故纵 (yù qín gù zòng) — (chengyu) to give someone enough freedom to act and then catch them; to loosen the reins to tighten them later
Definition
A chengyu meaning to deliberately let someone off the leash in order to catch them later — a calculated ploy, not a genuine concession. Often used for negotiation or persuasion tactics.
idiom
(chengyu) to give someone enough freedom to act and then catch themto loosen the reins to tighten them later
Examples
- 欲擒故纵，。Tā cǎi yòng le yù qín gù zòng de cè lüè, xiān ràng dí jūn fàng sōng jǐng tì.He adopted the strategy of giving the enemy rope to hang themselves, first letting them lower their guard.
- ，欲擒故纵，。Zài tán pàn zhōng, tā gù yì yù qín gù zòng, ràng duì fāng yǐ wéi zì jǐ zhàn le pián yi.During the negotiation, he deliberately played hard to get, making the other side think they had the upper hand.
- ，欲擒故纵，。Zhuī tā de shí hou, wǒ yòng yù qín gù zòng de fāng fǎ, fǎn ér ràng tā gèng zhǔ dòng.When I was pursuing her, I used the tactic of not being overly eager, which made her more proactive.
Appears in
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