call the shots

他們背后還有人指使。

They have other people behind them calling the shots.

不理解，請(qǐng)教點(diǎn)評(píng)

My comments:

If you have other people behind you calling the shots, you’re just doing what you are told to do. In other words, they’re the ones who make the decisions, not you.

Still in other words, they’re the ones who are in the position of power. You are not.

Calling the shots is probably an idiom borrowed from the army, where soldiers line up and aim at a target and cannot shoot before hearing for orders from their superiors. Only after hearing the order of “Fire!” do they let the bullets fly, so to speak.

And he who gives the orders of “Fire” is the one who calls the shots. And apparently he’s the one who’s in charge. The soldiers are merely obeying orders.

Related stories:

Carry the day

Asia pivot

credibility-sapping

tell-tale fingerprints

pluck a brand from the burning

for the sake of it

She's fair game!

Longevity has its place.

lose three stone是什么意思？

vintage mother

down the road

take sth in stride

Sour puss 酸貓？

Go to Zhang Xin's column

本文僅代表作者本人觀點(diǎn)，與本網(wǎng)立場(chǎng)無(wú)關(guān)。歡迎大家討論學(xué)術(shù)問(wèn)題，尊重他人，禁止人身攻擊和發(fā)布一切違反國(guó)家現(xiàn)行法律法規(guī)的內(nèi)容。

About the author:

Zhang Xin（張欣） has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.