tú qióng bǐ xiàn
Traditional: 圖窮匕見
图穷匕见 (tú qióng bǐ xiàn) is a Chinese word meaning “lit. the assassin's dagger, concealed in a map scroll, is suddenly revealed when the map is unrolled (referring to the attempted assassination of Ying Zheng 嬴政[Ying2 Zheng4] by Jing Ke 荊軻|荆轲[Jing1 Ke1] in 227 BC) (idiom); fig. malicious intent suddenly becomes apparent”.
Meanings
- 1lit. the assassin's dagger, concealed in a map scroll, is suddenly revealed when the map is unrolled (referring to the attempted assassination of Ying Zheng 嬴政[Ying2 Zheng4] by Jing Ke 荊軻|荆轲[Jing1 Ke1] in 227 BC) (idiom)
- 2fig. malicious intent suddenly becomes apparent