Stratagem 08 of 36

Openly Repairing the Plank Road While Secretly Marching Through Chencang

暗渡陈仓

Stratagems of Defending · 敌战计

Core Definition

核心释义

Pretend to attack in one direction while secretly advancing in another. Use visible preparations to mask your true intentions.

示之以动,利其静而有主。益动而巽。

Historical Origin

历史典故

The Classic Story

After Liu Bang was granted the remote kingdom of Han, he burned the Plank Road to show he had no intention of returning east. Meanwhile, his general Han Xin secretly built a new road through Chencang and launched a surprise attack, reclaiming the Three Qins.

刘邦被封为汉王后,焚烧栈道以示无意东归。同时,大将韩信暗中修复陈仓小道,出其不意地发动突袭,收复三秦之地。

Modern Applications

现代应用
  • Publicly pursuing one market while secretly developing entry into another
  • Using routine maintenance as cover for major system upgrades
  • Announcing conservative plans while pursuing aggressive strategies
  • Running visible pilot programs to distract from larger strategic moves

Supplementary Case Studies

补充案例分析

Google Android Strategy

Google publicly focused on search and advertising while secretly building Android into the world's dominant mobile OS. By the time competitors realized Google was entering mobile, Android had already achieved critical mass through carrier partnerships.

谷歌公开聚焦搜索和广告,同时秘密将安卓建设为全球主导移动操作系统。竞争对手意识到谷歌进入移动领域时,安卓已通过运营商合作达到临界规模。

D-Day Mulberry Harbours

The Allies publicly planned to capture a French port quickly. Secretly, they built massive prefabricated Mulberry harbours in England. When the ports proved too well-defended, the hidden harbours were towed across the Channel — the secret plan saved the invasion.

盟军公开计划迅速夺取法国港口,暗中在英国建造了巨大的预制人造港。当港口防守过于严密时,隐藏的人造港被拖过英吉利海峡——秘密计划拯救了登陆行动。