Bất Vi gả vợ

Definition

Proper Noun (Historical Idiom): - "Bất Vi gả vợ" (literally: "Bất Vi gives away a wife"): This phrase refers to a famous historical scheme from ancient China, involving Lü Buwei (Lã Bất Vi). It describes the act of strategically marrying off a woman (who is already pregnant with one's own child) to a powerful or noble man for the ultimate purpose of placing one's own biological son into a line of succession, thereby gaining immense political power and influence indirectly. The core meaning implies a deep, long-term political conspiracy executed through marital arrangement.

Usage Examples
  • Proper Noun:
    • Âm mưu "Bất Vi gả vợ" của Lã Bất Vi là một trong những mưu đồ chính trị nổi tiếng nhất trong lịch sử Trung Quốc. (Lü Buwei's scheme of "Bất Vi gả vợ" is one of the most famous political plots in Chinese history.)
    • Hành động đó chẳng khác gì "Bất Vi gả vợ", đều nhằm mục đích thao túng quyền lực về lâu dài. (That action is no different from "Bất Vi gả vợ," both aiming to manipulate power in the long term.)
Advanced Usage
  • The phrase is used metaphorically in modern contexts to criticize or describe any complex, deceptive long-term strategy, especially in politics or business, where a person or group plants an agent or gains influence through a seemingly benign personal relationship or marriage.
    • Vụ bê bối chính trị đó lộ ra một kế hoạch kiểu "Bất Vi gả vợ" nhằm đưa người của họ vào vị trí then chốt. (The political scandal revealed a "Bất Vi gả vợ"-style plan to install their person in a key position.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Âm mưu "Bất Vi gả vợ": The conspiracy of "Bất Vi giving away a wife."
  • Kế "Bất Vi gả vợ": The stratagem of "Bất Vi giving away a wife."
Synonyms
  • Political machination: A cunning and scheming move in politics.
  • Succession plot: A conspiracy to control a line of inheritance.
  • Long-game deception: A deceptive strategy with a very long-term goal.
Related Idioms
  • Gả vợ đặt con: (Literally: To marry off a wife and place a son) A related Vietnamese idiom describing a similar scheme of placing one's child into a position of power through marriage. It is often used interchangeably with or as a clearer explanation of "Bất Vi gả vợ."
    • Hắn ta tính toán chi tiết như kiểu "gả vợ đặt con". (He calculated in detail like a "gả vợ đặt con" scheme.)