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.
