偷梁换柱

偷梁換柱

tōuliáng-huànzhù

idiom #37,700

Meanings

1 to steal the beams and replace the pillars
2 to swap the real for the fake; to perpetrate a substitution scam
3 (figuratively) to switch things covertly

Characters

to swap; to change

Examples

HSK 7-9

骗子偷梁换柱，把假货当真品卖。

Piànzi tōuliánghuànzhù, bǎ jiǎhuò dàngzhēn pǐn mài.

The con artist switched the real goods for fakes and sold them as genuine.

HSK 7-9

他用偷梁换柱的手法篡改了合同。

Tāyòng tōuliánghuànzhù de shǒufǎ cuàngǎi le hétóng.

He used a bait-and-switch trick to tamper with the contract.

Tips

history

Popularized by 《红楼梦》 chapter 97 (Cao Xueqin, Qing dynasty): Wang Xifeng swaps Daiyu for Baochai at Baoyu's wedding - literally substituting a bride. It's also one of the 三十六计 (Thirty-Six Stratagems).

culture

Stratagem #25 in 《三十六计》: in ancient military use, 梁 and 柱 were metaphors for the main columns of an enemy formation - swap them out and the whole structure falls.

Stroke Order

偷 tōu

梁 liáng

换 huàn

柱 zhù