项庄舞剑，意在沛公

lit. Xiang Zhuang performs the sword dance, but his mind is set on Liu Bang 劉邦|刘邦[Liu2 Bang1] (idiom); refers to 206 BC plot to murder Liu Bang, aka Duke of Pei 沛公[Pei4 gong1] and the future Han emperor, during a sword dance at the Hongmen feast 鴻門宴|鸿门宴[Hong2 men2 yan4] / an elaborate deception to hide malicious intent

surname Xiang

back of neck / item / thing / term (in a mathematical formula) / sum (of money) / classifier for principles, items, clauses, tasks, research projects etc

variant of 莊|庄[zhuang1]

farmstead / village / manor / place of business / banker (in a gambling game) / grave or solemn / holdings of a landlord (in imperial China)

to dance / to wield / to brandish

lit. Xiang Zhuang performs the sword dance, but his mind is set on Liu Bang 劉邦|刘邦[Liu2 Bang1] (idiom, refers to plot to kill Liu Bang during the Hongmen feast 鴻門宴|鸿门宴[Hong2 men2 yan4] in 206 BC) / fig. an elaborate deception hiding malicious intent

to perform a sword-dance

double-edged sword / CL:口[kou3],把[ba3] / classifier for blows of a sword

variant of 劍|剑[jian4]

Italy / Italian / abbr. for 意大利[Yi4 da4 li4]

idea / meaning / thought / to think / wish / desire / intention / to expect / to anticipate

Italy; Italian (abbr. for 意大利[Yi4 da4 li4])

to exist; to be alive / (of sb or sth) to be (located) at / (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress)

copious / abundant

Duke of Pei (i.e. 劉邦|刘邦[Liu2 Bang1])

public / collectively owned / common / international (e.g. high seas, metric system, calendar) / make public / fair / just / Duke, highest of five orders of nobility 五等爵位[wu3 deng3 jue2 wei4] / honorable (gentlemen) / father-in-law / male (animal)