金蟬脫殼 jīn chán tuō qiào

to escape by trick; leave only an empty shell

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. lit. the cicada sheds its carapace (idiom); fig. to vanish leaving an empty shell
  2. 2. a crafty escape plan

Characters

Character Meaning
金 jīn HSK 4
gold; money; golden
蟬 chán
cicada
脫 tuō
to take off; to shed; to get away from
殼 qiào
shell; also pr. ké; crust (earth's crust etc)