# 金蝉脱壳

jīn chán tuō qiào

Escape while leaving a misleading shell behind

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** A cicada slips out of its shell

**Traditional Chinese:** 金蟬脫殼

**Register:** Strategic · literary

[Choices & judgment](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/decisions)

## When to use it

Describe a clever escape that leaves appearances unchanged.

More specific than merely running away.

## Understanding the expression

A cicada emerges while its old shell remains in place, giving the appearance that something is still there. The expression compares this to an escape that distracts attention with a substitute, disguise, or preserved outward arrangement. It often occurs in suspense stories and accounts of evasion. The shell is the essential feature, because departure alone is not enough. Context may praise ingenuity or condemn avoidance of responsibility, depending on what is being escaped.

## Examples

他换上工作人员的衣服，来了个金蝉脱壳。

### Traditional Chinese

他換上工作人員的衣服，來了個金蟬脫殼。

tā huàn shàng gōng zuò rén yuán de yī fu ， lái le gè jīn chán tuō qiào 。

He escaped by disguising himself as staff.

骗子留下空公司，金蝉脱壳地走了。

### Traditional Chinese

騙子留下空公司，金蟬脫殼地走了。

piàn zi liú xià kōng gōng sī ， jīn chán tuō qiào dì zǒu le 。

The scammer escaped, leaving an empty company behind.

主角用替身金蝉脱壳。

### Traditional Chinese

主角用替身金蟬脫殼。

zhǔ jué yòng tì shēn jīn chán tuō qiào 。

The protagonist escaped with a decoy.

警方识破了他金蝉脱壳的计划。

### Traditional Chinese

警方識破了他金蟬脫殼的計劃。

jǐng fāng shí pò le tā jīn chán tuō qiào de jì huà 。

Police saw through his deceptive escape plan.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E9%87%91%E8%9F%AC%E8%84%AB%E6%AE%BC)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=577&webMd=1&la=0)

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