瞒天过海

瞞天過海
mántiān-guòhǎi
idiom #34,117

Meanings

  1. 1 to deceive heaven to cross the sea
  2. 2 to achieve one's aim by elaborate deception
  3. 3 to pull off something under cover of a cover story

Examples

HSK 7-9
Tāmen xiǎng mántiānguòhǎi, táobì diàochá.
They tried to pull a deceptive maneuver to dodge the investigation.
HSK 7-9
Zhèzhǒng mántiānguòhǎi de shǒuduàn chízǎo huì bèi shípò.
That kind of elaborate deception will be seen through sooner or later.
HSK 7-9
Gōngsī shìtú mántiānguòhǎi, yǎngài cáiwù kuīsǔn.
The company tried to pull the wool over everyone's eyes and hide its financial losses.

Tips

culture
The opening stratagem of 《三十六计》 (The Thirty-Six Stratagems), a classical compendium of Chinese military deception. The image: something so obvious (heaven, the sea) that it passes unnoticed - hide in plain sight by making the ruse itself routine.
usage
Always negative - trickery, deception, cover-up. Modern use: financial fraud, bureaucratic cover-ups, smuggling. Frequently paired with 手段, 伎俩, 手法.

Stroke Order

mán
tiān
guò
hǎi