The Chinese word 运筹帷幄 is formed by combining four characters: 运 (to operate or move), 筹 (tally sticks used for calculation or planning), 帷 (tent curtain), and 幄 (tent), directly drawn from a historical account in which a military strategist planned campaigns inside a tent, thus literally conveying the image of moving planning tokens within a tent's curtains to represent strategic decision-making done in seclusion.