Chinese idiom · 成语
偷天换日
Meaning
To steal heaven and swap the sun; audacious deception.
Character by character
Origin and story
historical dramaA Ming dramatic selection from Qiefu Ji uses the phrase in the scene where Ru Ji steals a military tally. The play draws on the story of Lord Xinling trying to rescue Zhao from Qin while the king of Wei hesitates to send his troops into action. Ru Ji, whom Xinling had helped avenge her father's death, assists by taking the king's tally. The theatrical wording imagines deception so bold that even heaven and the sun could be switched unnoticed. It is an attested dramatic expression, not the wording of the earlier historical record itself, and now describes audacious manipulation or substitution.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
他想在合同里偷天换日，把原本承诺的退款改成购物券。
He tried to pull a switch in the contract, replacing the promised refund with a shopping voucher.
Usually criticizes a brazen deceptive alteration or substitution.