瞒天过海
瞒天过海 (mán tiān guò hǎi) literally means “deceive heaven, cross sea” and expresses “disguise true intentions”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving strategy and action.
Also searched as: man tian guo hai, man tian guo hai,瞒天过海 meaning, 瞒天过海 in english
Disguise true intentions
Pronunciation: mán tiān guò hǎi Literal meaning: Deceive heaven, cross sea
Origin & Usage
The idiom 瞒天过海 (mán tiān guò hǎi) originates from the first stratagem of the 'Thirty-Six Stratagems' (三十六计). The story is linked to the Tang Dynasty, where the general Xue Rengui (薛仁贵) helped Emperor Taizong (唐太宗) cross the sea without the emperor realizing it. This was achieved by constructing a 'wooden city' to disguise the crossing, thus calming the emperor's fear of the sea. The characters 瞒 (mán) mean 'to deceive' and 天 (tiān) means 'heaven,' while 过 (guò) means 'to cross' and 海 (hǎi) means 'sea.' The tactic involves using deception to hide true intentions, making the enemy complacent. In modern usage, it describes strategies where one uses common actions to disguise a significant move, often applied in military, political, and business contexts.
Examples
English: "The general used a clever ruse to mislead the enemy while executing his plan."
Chinese: 将军用巧妙的计谋来误导敌人，同时执行他的计划。
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about strategy & action
胸有成竹
xiōng yǒu chéng zhú
Have clear plan beforehand
Learn more →
步步为营
bù bù wéi yíng
Advance methodically with caution
Learn more →
退避三舍
tuì bì sān shè
Make concessions to avoid conflict
Learn more →
旁敲侧击
páng qiāo cè jī
Approach indirectly to achieve goal
Learn more →
暗度陈仓
àn dù chén cāng
Achieve secretly through misdirection
Learn more →
釜底抽薪
fǔ dǐ chōu xīn
Eliminate root cause of problem
Learn more →
推波助澜
tuī bō zhù lán
Amplifying existing trends or momentum
Learn more →
鹬蚌相争
yù bàng xiāng zhēng
Mutual conflict benefits third party
Learn more →
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 瞒天过海 mean in English?
瞒天过海 (mán tiān guò hǎi) literally translates to “Deceive heaven, cross sea” and is used to express “Disguise true intentions”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Strategy & Action category.
When is 瞒天过海 used?
Situation: The general used a clever ruse to mislead the enemy while executing his plan.
What is the pinyin for 瞒天过海?
The pinyin pronunciation for 瞒天过海 is “mán tiān guò hǎi”.