瞒天过海

Pronunciation: mán tiān guò hǎi Literal meaning: Deceive heaven, cross sea

Origin & Usage

The first of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, illustrated by a tale of Tang Taizong, who had to cross the sea and could not bear the sight of it. His officers built a great enclosed structure hung with curtains, walked him into what appeared to be a house, and set him at a banquet; when the wind rose he pulled back a curtain and found himself well out to sea. Deceiving (瞒) heaven (天) to cross (过) the sea (海) works by the ordinary rather than the exotic — the most complete cover is a familiar thing nobody thinks to inspect.

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。