During the Song Dynasty, there was a famous calligrapher and painter named Mi Fu. He lived a bohemian life, often feigning madness, so people called him "Mad Mi."
Mi Fu was a master calligrapher, ranked among the Four Great Masters of the Song Dynasty, and his landscape and figure paintings were equally renowned, forming a distinctive school.
Mi Fu was not only a master of calligraphy and painting but also an avid collector of rare ancient artworks—though his methods often bordered on deception.
Whenever Mi Fu heard of someone owning a famous painting, he would go to great lengths to borrow it, ostensibly for appreciation but actually to copy it. After meticulously reproducing the original, he would return the copy to the owner. Thanks to his extraordinary skill, the copy was indistinguishable from the real thing, and the owner often couldn't tell which was which. Sometimes, Mi Fu would even present both the copy and the original for the owner to choose, and the owner would invariably take the copy back.
On another occasion, the eccentric calligrapher Mi Fu was out boating when he happened upon Cai You. Cai You showed Mi Fu a genuine work by the great Jin Dynasty calligrapher Wang Xizhi. The moment Mi Fu saw it, he was utterly captivated, refusing to let it go. He insisted on trading one of his own paintings for it. When Cai You naturally declined, Mi Fu begged and pleaded relentlessly, finally threatening to jump into the river and drown himself if refused. Cai You, left with no other choice, reluctantly agreed to the exchange.
Over time, people believed that Mi Fu's precious calligraphy treasures were all obtained through "clever schemes and brazen seizures," and in great quantity. Later, people used the idiom "clever schemes and brazen seizures" to describe forcibly or deceitfully taking property, power, or other things one does not deserve.
Source: Zhou Hui (Song Dynasty), *Qingbo Magazine*
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "巧取豪夺" came to describe forcibly or deceitfully taking property, power, or other things one does not deserve.