Chinese Idiom: 朝三暮四 (Zhao San Mu Si)
English Translation: Three in the Morning, Four in the Evening
pīn yīn: zhāo sān mù sì
Idiom Meaning: This idiom refers to deceptive manipulation and is often used to describe fickleness or inconsistency in behavior or promises.
Historical Source: The idiom originates from Liezi (Liezi: Huangdi).
Idiom Story:
Idiom Story:
During the early Warring States period, there was a man in the State of Song named Ju Gong (狙公) who had a great fondness for monkeys and kept a large group of them at home. Over time, through frequent interaction with the monkeys, he learned to understand their psychology, and the monkeys also came to understand his words. As his affection for the monkeys grew, he was willing to cut back on his household’s rations just to ensure the monkeys were well-fed.
However, as time passed, Ju Gong’s family gradually became impoverished, and he found it necessary to reduce the amount of food allocated for the monkeys. Despite this, he was concerned that the monkeys might rebel if they didn’t get enough to eat. So, he devised a cunning plan and told the monkeys, “From now on, you will get three acorns in the morning and four in the evening. Is that enough?” Hearing this, the monkeys reacted with anger, believing that three acorns in the morning was too little.
Seeing their reaction, Ju Gong thought for a moment and then quickly changed his approach, saying, “What if I give you four acorns in the morning and three in the evening? Is that enough?” The monkeys, upon hearing that they could have four acorns in the morning, felt pleased and satisfied, believing they had received an increase in their rations.
In reality, whether they received three in the morning and four in the evening or four in the morning and three in the evening, the total number of acorns remained unchanged. Later, this fable inspired the idiom “朝三暮四” (morning three, evening four) to describe situations involving trickery and changing promises.
