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Chapter 1 · Winning Stratagems

借刀殺人

Jiè dāo shā rén

Kill with a Borrowed Knife

General Bao acting out Kill with a Borrowed Knife
General Bao demonstrates 借刀殺人 — Kill with a Borrowed Knife.
借刀殺人 borrow · knife · kill · person

Let someone else do your dirty work. Their hand swings the blade; your fingerprints are nowhere.

Today

You want the deafening open-plan seating gone but don't want to be the villain. So the new fire-safety auditor "happens" to tour at peak Friday chaos. Facilities condemns the layout. You just nodded along, concerned.

When it backfires

Borrowed knives have their own grip. Point the auditor at the open plan and they may flag your whole floor — including the corner desk you love.