移花接木 — “Move flowers, graft wood; graft flowers onto trees”
移花接木 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to stealthily substitute one thing for another, often for deceptive purposes; to surreptitiously replace people or things to achieve a hidden agenda”. Literally, “move flowers, graft wood; graft flowers onto trees”.
移花接木 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 移yí
- 花huā
- 接jiē
- 木mù
移花接木 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 移花接木
Origin and Story of 移花接木
Once upon a time, there was a gardener who, despite working hard all year, earned very little.
One day, he had a brilliant idea: he grafted branches from two ordinary flowers together to cultivate a beautiful new variety.
He sold this unique flower at a high price, making a considerable profit. Overjoyed, he celebrated by drinking heavily.
While he was intoxicated, others cleverly coaxed his secret of 'grafting flowers and connecting wood' ( 移花接木 ) out of him.
The following year, with his secret exposed, he could no longer sell his special flowers for a good price.
Idioms Related to 移花接木
Synonyms of 移花接木
Antonyms of 移花接木
More idioms starting with 移
- yí移dōng东jiù就xī西make temporary adjustments
- yí移dōng东huàn换xī西constantly changing living or working environment
- yí移dōng东bǔ补xī西rob Peter to pay Paul
- yí移shāng商huàn换yǔ羽change key or adapt to new circumstances
- yí移guó国dòng动zhòng众profoundly influence or disturb a large population
- yí移tiān天xǐ徙rì日usurp power through illicit means
- yí移tiān天yì易rì日subvert the established order
- yí移xiào孝wéi为zhōng忠extend filial piety to loyalty
- yí移xiào孝zuò作zhōng忠transfer filial piety to loyalty
- yí移shān山dǎo倒hǎi海immense power to transform nature
Questions about 移花接木
- What does 移花接木 mean?
- 移花接木 (yí huā jiē mù) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to stealthily substitute one thing for another, often for deceptive purposes; to surreptitiously replace people or things to achieve a hidden agenda”.
- How do you pronounce 移花接木?
- 移花接木 is pronounced yí huā jiē mù in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 移花接木 literally mean?
- Literally, 移花接木 means “move flowers, graft wood; graft flowers onto trees”. It is used to mean “to stealthily substitute one thing for another, often for deceptive purposes; to surreptitiously replace people or things to achieve a hidden agenda”.
- Where does 移花接木 come from?
- 移花接木 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 移花接木?
- 把一种花木的枝条或嫩芽嫁接在另一种花木上。比喻暗中用手段更换人或事物来欺骗别人。