rivers and lakes / all corners of the country / remote areas to which hermits retreat / section of society operating independently of mainstream society, out of reach of the law / the milieu in which wuxia tales play out (cf. 武俠|武侠[wu3 xia2]) / (in late imperial times) world of traveling merchants, itinerant doctors, fortune tellers etc / demimonde / (in modern times) triads / secret gangster societies / underworld
important matter that must be kept secret (idiom) / don't breathe a word of it to anyone!
姜子牙
Jiāng Zǐ yá
Jiang Ziya (c. 1100 BC, dates of birth and death unknown), partly mythical sage advisor to King Wen of Zhou 周文王[Zhou1 Wen2 wang2] and purported author of “Six Secret Strategic Teachings&rdquo / 六韜|六韬[Liu4 tao1], one of the Seven Military Classics of ancient China 武經七書|武经七书[Wu3 jing1 Qi1 shu1]
military strategy / military tactics / originally refers to military classics Six Secret Teachings 六韜|六韬[Liu4 tao1] and Three Strategies 三略[San1 lu:e4]
阳奉阴违
yáng fèng yīn wéi
outward devotion but inner opposition (idiom) / to pay lip service / to agree overtly, but oppose in secret
hiding a sickness for fear of treatment (idiom) / fig. concealing a fault to avoid criticism / to keep one's shortcomings secret / to refuse to listen to advice
"Six Secret Strategic Teachings" 六韜|六韬[Liu4 tao1] and "Three Strategies of Huang Shigong" 三略[San1 lu:e4], two of the Seven Military Classics of ancient China 武經七書|武经七书[Wu3 jing1 Qi1 shu1], attributed to Jiang Ziya 姜子牙[Jiang1 Zi3 ya2]
泄漏天机
xiè lòu tiān jī
to divulge the will of heaven (idiom) / to leak a secret / to let the cat out of the bag
泄露天机
xiè lù tiān jī
to divulge the will of heaven (idiom) / to leak a secret / to let the cat out of the bag
漏泄天机
lòu xiè tiān jī
to divulge the will of heaven (idiom) / to leak a secret / to let the cat out of the bag
司马昭之心路人皆知
Sī mǎ Zhāo zhī xīn lù rén jiē zhī
lit. Sima Zhao's intentions are obvious to everyone (idiom) / fig. an open secret
走嘴
zǒu zuǐ
a slip of the tongue / to blurt out (a secret or stupid mistake)
hēi