The idiom 瞒天过海 is formed by sequentially combining the verb 瞒 (to deceive) with its object 天 (heaven), followed by the verb 过 (to cross) with its object 海 (sea), creating a literal meaning of "deceive heaven to cross the sea". It originates from a specific historical account where a military strategist concealed troops from the emperor to enable a sea crossing, thus structuring the phrase as a method (deceiving authority) linked to a goal (overcoming a barrier) to convey the concept of achieving an objective through elaborate trickery.