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外交捭阖

English translation: diplomatic maneuvers

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Chinese term or phrase:	外交捭阖
English translation:	diplomatic maneuvers
Entered by:	Naikei Wong

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14:27 Mar 22, 2006

Chinese to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Government / Politics / International Relations

Chinese term or phrase: 外交捭阖

This is the name of a newspaper column... The article is about a US consulate taking his new office...

No particular / relevant contexts

That is, I need only a plausible, nice-sounding rendition. (this is not a set phrase)

thanks in advance!

Naikei Wong KudoZ activity Questions: 199 (none open) Answers: 1098 Hong Kong
Local time: 13:43

diplomatic maneuver

Explanation:
Last Hermit's explanation is right on target. The translation should be something like "diplomatic maneuver," which is a rather standard phrase and tons of Google hits can be found.

Selected response from:

chenarth
United States
Local time: 01:43

Grading comment

Thank you all for the generous inputs... special thanks to Last Hermit for his great insights and humorous entertainment... and to Ray Luo for refreshing me with history... for the purpose of this Chinese assignment, I think chenarth's idea is readily useable in this context... thanks again.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

Been in the diplomatic sphere for years, LH was installed

Last Hermit

diplomatic canvass (for political support)

Ray Luo

diplomatic maneuver

chenarth

Discussion entries: 3

Answers

28 mins confidence:

diplomatic maneuver

Explanation:
Last Hermit's explanation is right on target. The translation should be something like "diplomatic maneuver," which is a rather standard phrase and tons of Google hits can be found.

chenarth
United States
Local time: 01:43
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Chinese
PRO pts in category: 8

Grading comment

35 mins confidence:

Been in the diplomatic sphere for years, LH was installed

Explanation:
as Commissioner Against Corruption by the Court. His draconic measures are expected to jail all those influence-peddling Mandarins, including quite a few Governors of the Great Qing. Three months later, though, he found himself in jail. And the story closed without any further information remotely connected with it.

Last Hermit
China
Local time: 13:43
Native speaker of:

Chinese
PRO pts in category: 8

1 hr confidence:

diplomatic canvass (for political support)

Explanation:
canvass: to try to obtain political support or votes, especially by visiting all the houses in an area

纵横捭阖

有时会在书报上见到成语“纵横捭阖”，意即政治上、外交上运用手段达到联合或分化瓦解目的。

简单解释，“纵横”即竖和横；“捭阖”是开和合，字面上解成自如地横竖开合（达《达到操纵控制对方的目的》。不过，“纵横”有其特殊含义，是指战国时的“合纵”与“连横”的谋毠。战国时有七国争霸，齐、楚、燕、韩、赵、魏等六国采取了联合对抗强秦的作法谓之“合纵”；秦国则执行分化六国，使其服从秦国而个个击破谓“连横”。因此，这成语用“纵横”（合纵和连横）两大策略指称国际间错综复杂的政治和外交斗争。

“捭阖”的字面意思是开合，略析如下：“捭”字有个提手偏旁，古时有两手相击或分开之意，并无其他讲解，因此可解作“开”。“阖”字有个门字外框，它本是家门之意。但是人们常用此字组成阖家、阖府、阖第等，比如，现今请帖也常有“阖府统请”字样，此时的“阖”可解作“全”的意思，即上述三词均指全家。这是字义的引申，即由“门”变成此门之内的意思了，当然是指全部。“捭阖”之“阖”则是另类引申，因为“门”的用途即是家之遮拦，常常关闭，故讲成“合”了。“捭阖”字面意是开合，同“纵横”的政治策略放在一起，解为为了联合或分化他国，开合自如的游说手段了。

Ray Luo
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:43
Native speaker of:

Chinese
PRO pts in category: 17

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外交捭阖

English translation: diplomatic maneuvers