Two-faced}} What an idiom!

Double-faced is a word, not an idiom. It generally refers to people who are duplicitous and good at pretending.

So, how did "two-faced" come about?

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Yuan army and the rebel army led by Zhu Yuanzhang started a tug-of-war north of the Yellow River. The people were miserable. Everyone was welcome when they came, and red and green greetings were posted on the door panels. Slogans come and change quickly. The people of Huaiqing Prefecture in northern Henan lived frugally, so they came up with a once and for all solution: use a thin wooden board with a slogan welcoming the Yuan army "Protect the territory and secure the people" written on one side, and on the other side a slogan welcoming the rebels "Drive out the Tatars" "Restore China" slogans, and use slogans to welcome whoever comes, which saves money and is convenient. But I didn't expect that this method would cause big trouble later.

Once, Zhu Yuanzhang's general Chang Yuchun led his army to Huaiqing Mansion. When he entered the city, he saw the colorful wooden signs at the door of his house full of welcome slogans, and he felt happy. But suddenly a strong wind blew, and the wooden sign turned over. The reverse side was full of slogans welcoming the Yuan army. Chang was in a state of extreme spring, so he ordered all those who displayed double-faced cards to be executed.

The "two-faced sect" that is often referred to nowadays evolved from the "two-faced card" in Huaiqing Mansion. Little did they know that there is a history of blood and tears in it.

Example of idiom: Hidden sword in smile Pinyin xiào lǐ cáng dāo

Explanation: Describes a person who looks friendly but is sinister and sinister.

Exploring the source

The original meaning of "hiding a knife in a smile" refers to the practice of "calling brother with your mouth and touching the guy with your hands". This tactic is used in the military to use political and diplomatic camouflage to deceive and paralyze the other party to cover up one's own military operations. This is a strategy that is friendly on the surface but murderous underneath.

During the Warring States Period, in order to expand, the Qin State had to seize the dangerous terrain of the Yellow River and the Yaoshan Mountains. It sent Gongsun Yang as a general to lead troops to attack the Wei State. Gongsun Yang's army arrived directly at the gate of Wucheng in the state of Wei. This Wucheng was originally the place where the famous Wei general Wu Qi worked hard. The terrain is dangerous and the fortifications are strong. A frontal attack may not be effective. Gongsun An was thinking hard about how to attack the city. He was overjoyed when he found out that the guard general of Wei State was Gongzi Xing, whom he had been in contact with before. He immediately wrote a letter, took the initiative to get close to the young master, and said, although we are each our own masters now, considering our past friendship, it would be better for the two countries to stop fighting and make a peace treaty. The feeling of nostalgia is beyond words. He also recommends setting up a time for meetings and major events. After the letter was sent, Gongsun Yang also took the initiative to withdraw his troops and ordered the Qin army's forward to withdraw immediately. After reading the letter, Gong Zixing was very happy to see the Qin army retreating, and immediately wrote back to agree on a date for the meeting. Seeing that Gongsun Yang had fallen into the trap, Gongsun Yang secretly set up an ambush at the meeting place. On the day of the meeting, Gongzi Xing arrived at the agreed place with 300 followers. When he saw that Gongsun Yang had even fewer followers, and none of them were armed, he became even more convinced of the other party's sincerity. The atmosphere of the meeting was very harmonious. The two reaffirmed their old friendship and expressed their sincerity in their friendship. Gongsun An also hosted a banquet in honor of Young Master Xing. Gongzi Xing rushed to the crowd in excitement, but before he could sit down, he suddenly heard an order and ambushed soldiers from all sides. Gongzi Xing and his three hundred followers were unable to react in time and were all captured. Gongsun Yang used his captured followers to trick him into opening the gates of Wucheng and occupied Wucheng. Wei had no choice but to cede the Xihe area and seek peace with Qin. The Qin State used Gongsun Martingale's strategy of hiding a sword in his smile to capture the area of ??Mount Laoshan.

Story

During the Three Kingdoms period, due to its important geographical location, Jingzhou became a battleground for military strategists. In 217 AD, Lu Su died of illness. The honeymoon of Sun and Liu's joint resistance to Cao was over.

At that time, Guan Yu was guarding Jingzhou, and Sun Quan had long wanted to seize Jingzhou, but the time was not yet ripe. Soon after, Guan Yu sent troops to attack Fancheng controlled by Cao Cao. Fearing future trouble, he left heavy troops to garrison Gong'an and Nanjun to defend Jingzhou. Sun Quan's general Lu Meng believed that the time had come to seize Jingzhou, but because he was ill, he suggested that Sun Quan send the then unknown young general Lu Xun to take his place and garrison Lukou.

When Lu Xun took office, he did not show off his appearance, and set a strategy of pretending to make peace with Guan Yu and actually preparing for war. He wrote a letter to Guan Yu, in which he strongly praised Guan Yu, saying that Guan Yu was as famous as Duke Wen of Jin and Han Xin because of his great achievements and prestige.

He calls himself a scholar, but he is too young to take on big responsibilities. He needs Guan Yu to give him more advice. Guan Yu was arrogant and arrogant. After reading Lu Xun's letter, he looked up to the sky and laughed, saying: "There is no need to worry about the east of the Yangtze River." He immediately mobilized most of the troops defending Jingzhou and devoted himself wholeheartedly. Attack Fancheng. Lu Xun secretly sent someone to inform Cao Cao and agreed that both sides would act together to attack Guan Yu.

Sun Quan believed that the time was ripe to seize Jingzhou, so he sent Lu Meng as the vanguard to march towards Jingzhou. Lü Meng ambushed his elite troops in warships converted into merchant ships, traveled day and night, launched a surprise attack, and captured the south. Guan Yu heard the news and hurried back to his army, but it was too late, Sun Quan's army had already occupied Jingzhou. Guan Yu had no choice but to defeat Maicheng.