To replace something secretly with an inferior substitute; to practice a fraud or a surreptitious switch; to substitute the fake for the genuine.
Era:
Early Modern
Frequency:
Antonym:
Story:
In the classic Chinese novel 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' Jia Baoyu fell seriously ill with a mental disorder. To boost his health and bring good fortune, his grandmother, Lady Jia, decided to arrange a celebratory wedding for him.
Baoyu was deeply in love with Lin Daiyu, who unfortunately was also gravely ill.
Wang Xifeng (Phoenix), a cunning relative, came up with a deceitful plan, embodying the idiom 'stealing beams and replacing pillars.' She pretended to agree to Baoyu marrying Daiyu but secretly arranged for him to marry Xue Baochai instead.
On the very night of their wedding, while Baoyu unknowingly married Baochai, Lin Daiyu, abandoned and heartbroken, passed away alone in the Xiaoxiang Pavilion.