📖 Meaning
To move heaven and change the sun. It is a metaphor for a power-hungry person usurping political authority and overturning the established order. The phrase conveys the audacity of altering something as fundamental as the sky and the sun.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Book of Jin (《晋书·齐王冏传》), chronicling events of the Western Jin dynasty. During the chaotic reign that followed, the deposed commoner Zhao (Zhao Lun, Sima Lun) followed the schemes of his advisor Sun Xiu to seize the throne, overturning the rightful succession. The historian condemned this act as attempting to 'move heaven and change the sun,' usurping the authority that belonged to the legitimate sovereign. The expression has since been used to denounce those who illegitimately seize political power.
💡 Example Usage
权臣移天易日，终被后世史家唾弃。
The power-hungry minister usurped the throne, only to be despised by later historians.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 移天易日
- Pinyin: yí tiān yì rì
- Literal Translation: move, heaven, change, sun
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4