中國成語故事中英對照 偃旗息鼓

In the Three Kingdoms Period, during a battle between Cao Cao and Liu Bei, the latter ordered his generals Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong to capture Cao Cao’s supplies. Cao Cao led a large force against Zhao Yun, who retreated as fas as the gates of his camp. There, he ordered that the banners be lowered and the war drums silenced, and that the camp gates be left wide open. Zhao Yun then stationed(安置，駐扎) his troops in ambush(埋伏) nearly. When Cao Cao arrived and saw the situation, he immediately suspected a trap and withdrew his forces.

This idiom is nowadays used to indicate metaphorically(隱喻地) halting an attack or ceasing all activities.

《三國志。蜀志。趙云傳》中記載：在一次戰(zhàn)斗中，蜀將黃忠殺死了曹將夏侯淵，并奪取了戰(zhàn)略要地。曹操非常惱火，把米倉移到漢水旁的北山腳下，親率20萬大軍向陽平關(guān)大舉進(jìn)攻。黃忠、張著商議趁夜燒劫魏軍糧草。臨行前趙云和他們約定了返回時間，過期不歸就帶兵出寨接應(yīng)，正與曹操親自統(tǒng)率的部隊相遇。趙云同曹軍廝殺起來，把曹軍打得丟盔棄甲，救回了黃忠和張著。曹操沒有善罷甘休，指揮大隊人馬追殺趙云，直撲蜀營。趙云的副將張翼見趙云已退回本寨，后面追兵來勢兇猛，便要關(guān)閉寨門拒守。趙云下令大開營門，偃旗息鼓，準(zhǔn)備放曹軍進(jìn)來;一面又命令弓弩手埋伏在寨內(nèi)外，然后自己單槍匹馬站在門口等候敵人。生性多疑的曹操追到寨門口，心想，寨門大開，必有伏兵，即匆忙下令撤退。就在曹操調(diào)頭后退的時候，蜀軍營里金鼓齊鳴，殺聲震天，飛箭如雨般向曹軍射擊。曹軍驚慌失措，奪路逃命，自相踐踏。趙云趁勢奪了曹軍的糧草，殺死了曹軍大批兵馬，得勝回營。 后來，人們常用“偃旗息鼓”來比喻休戰(zhàn)、無聲無息或停止行動。