计谋 (jì móu) is a formal, literary noun meaning 'scheme' or 'stratagem' — a carefully devised plan, often to outwit an opponent or achieve a goal through cleverness rather than force. The first character 计 (jì) means 'to calculate' or 'plan', while 谋 (móu) means 'to scheme' or 'plot'; together, they emphasize intentional, strategic thinking. It carries a neutral-to-slightly-negative connotation depending on context: it can describe military tactics in historical texts or cunning behavior in stories.

This word is common in classical Chinese, historical novels (e.g., Romance of the Three Kingdoms), and modern idioms like 苦肉计 (kǔ ròu jì, 'the self-injury stratagem'). It rarely appears in casual speech; instead, everyday contexts use simpler terms like 办法 (bàn fǎ, 'solution') or 计划 (jì huà, 'plan'). 计谋 is typically used with verbs like 设计 (shè jì, 'to devise'), 使用 (shǐ yòng, 'to employ'), or 揭穿 (jiē chuān, 'to expose').