The Story of the ‘Empty City Stratagem’
The story of the Empty City Stratagem (空城计, kōngchéng jì) comes from the classic Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In 228 AD, during the Three Kingdoms period, the Shu Han strategist Zhuge Liang made a mistake in appointing Ma Su, which led to the loss of the strategic stronghold of Jieting. After Jieting fell, the Wei general Sima Yi seized the opportunity, leading his massive army of 150,000 soldiers to swarm toward Xicheng, where Zhuge Liang was located.
At the time, Zhuge Liang had no major generals with him, only a group of civil officials. Of his 5,000 soldiers, half had gone to transport grain and fodder, leaving only 2,500 men in the city. When everyone heard the news of Sima Yi’s approaching army, they were terrified. Zhuge Liang went to the city wall to observe the situation and then told everyone, “Don’t panic. With a simple trick, I can make Sima Yi retreat.”
Zhuge Liang then gave his orders. He had all the banners and flags hidden away and told the soldiers to stay put. Anyone who left without permission or spoke loudly would be immediately executed. He also ordered the soldiers to open all four city gates. At each gate, he placed 20 soldiers disguised as common people to sweep the streets and sprinkle water. Zhuge Liang himself put on a crane cloak and a tall headdress, took two young pageboys, and brought a qin (a type of zither). He went to the watchtower, sat by the rail, lit some incense, and began to play the qin slowly.
When Sima Yi’s vanguard troops arrived at the city, they were intimidated by the sight and didn’t dare to enter. They quickly returned to report to Sima Yi. Upon hearing the news, Sima Yi laughed, “How could this be?” He ordered his army to halt and rode forward to see for himself.
When Sima Yi arrived near the city, he saw Zhuge Liang sitting on the city wall, smiling serenely, playing his qin with incense burning nearby. On his left stood a pageboy holding a sword, and on his right, a pageboy holding a fly whisk. Inside and outside the city gates, more than 20 people in common clothes were sweeping, acting as if no one else was there.
Sima Yi was filled with doubt. He returned to his main army and ordered the rear guard to become the vanguard and the vanguard to become the rear guard as they retreated. His son, Sima Zhao, asked, “Could it be that Zhuge Liang has no troops inside and is deliberately putting on this show? Why are you retreating, Father?”
Sima Yi replied, “Zhuge Liang has always been cautious and never takes risks. Now, with the city gates wide open, there must be an ambush inside. If our army goes in, we will fall right into his trap. We must retreat quickly!” And so, all the troops turned back.
There is a theory that this story was adapted by the author from historical commentary in Pei Songzhi’s annotations to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, which mentions five anecdotes about Zhuge Liang. Guo Chong, a man from the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, was the first in history to mention Zhuge Liang using the empty city stratagem, and this was later adapted into the novel by Luo Guanzhong.
The Idiom’s Meaning
The story of the Empty City Stratagem reflects Zhuge Liang’s incredible strategic brilliance. When Sima Yi’s army came to attack a city defended by only a small number of old and weak soldiers, Zhuge Liang ordered the city gates to be opened. He also had people sweep the streets in front of the gates while he himself sat on the city wall, calmly playing his qin. When Sima Yi saw this, he feared there was an ambush inside the city and retreated.
Today, the phrase Empty City Stratagem is still used to describe a trick or ruse used to hide a weakness or a lack of strength, causing an opponent to hesitate or retreat.
In the Thirty-Six Stratagems, the original text for this plan is: “Show what is empty as empty; create suspicion within suspicion. At the point of transition between hard and soft, what is strange becomes even stranger.” This means that when you are weak, you intentionally show that you are undefended to make the enemy uncertain and wary of attacking. Using this strategy in a dire situation where you are outnumbered can be incredibly unpredictable and effective. It is a form of psychological warfare that exploits the opponent’s cautious nature, demonstrating the principle from The Art of War that “there is no constant form in war.”
Dr. Wilson Yong. Copyright 2025.
