Definition
偷梁换柱 is a four-character idiom (chengyu) that literally means 'steal the beam and replace it with a pillar' — a reference to secretly swapping key structural parts in traditional Chinese architecture. Figuratively, it describes any act of fraud where the genuine article is replaced with an inferior or fake substitute, often in a way that goes unnoticed. Use it when someone pulls a bait-and-switch or commits a deceptive substitution.
id.
to commit fraud by secretly substituting something inferior or fake for the genuine articleto pull a bait-and-switch
Examples
- 偷梁换柱，。Nà jiā gōngsī yòng tōu liáng huàn zhù de shǒufǎ qīpiàn gùkè, bǎ lièzhì chǎnpǐn dāng míngpái mài.That company used a bait-and-switch tactic to deceive customers, selling inferior products as if they were name brands.
- ，偷梁换柱。Tā tōutōu bǎ zhēn huà huàn chéng jiǎ huà, zhè zhǒng tōu liáng huàn zhù de xíngwéi zuìzhōng bèi fāxiàn le.He secretly replaced the real painting with a fake, and this fraudulent substitution was eventually discovered.
- 偷梁换柱，，。Bǐsài zhōng yǒu xuǎnshǒu tōu liáng huàn zhù, yòng tìshēn dàitì zìjǐ shàngchǎng, jiéguǒ bèi qǔxiāo le zīgé.During the competition, a contestant pulled a switcheroo by using a substitute to take their place, and as a result was disqualified.
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