朝三暮四
- Literal
- three in the morning, four in the evening
- Figurative
- To be fickle and inconstant, forever changing one's mind (and, in its original sense, to fool someone with a trick that changes only the appearance, not the substance).
Where does 朝三暮四 come from?
A man who kept monkeys fed them acorns. When food grew scarce, he offered them three acorns in the morning and four in the evening; the monkeys flew into a rage. He then reversed the offer—four in the morning and three in the evening—and the monkeys were delighted, never noticing the total was unchanged. The tale showed how the mere framing of words sways feeling though the substance stays the same; over time the saying came to mean fickleness and inconstancy.
Source (出处): 《庄子》
How is 朝三暮四 used? Two examples
- 做事要有定力，别老是朝三暮四。
Getting things done takes resolve; don't keep blowing hot and cold all the time.
- 他选专业朝三暮四，换了三次都没定下来。
He's so fickle about choosing a major that he's switched three times and still hasn't settled.
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