{"path":"/entry/54488","title":"朝三暮四 (zhāo sān mù sì) — Chinese Dictionary | Flashbao","description":"朝三暮四 (zhāo sān mù sì): literally say three in the morning but four in the evening (idiom) · to change something that is already settled upon. Explore meanings, example sentences and vocabulary decks.","catalog":null,"deck":null,"entry":{"reading":{"id":54488,"orthography":{"forms":{"SIMPLIFIED":["朝三暮四"],"TRADITIONAL":["朝三暮四"]}},"phonetic":"zhāo sān mù sì","phoneticKey":"zhao1 san1 mu4 si4","meanings":{"primary":[{"qualifier":null,"synonyms":[{"segments":[{"dim":false,"runs":[{"kind":"TEXT","text":"literally say three in the morning but four in the evening ","orthography":null,"phonetic":null,"phoneticKey":null,"readingId":null}]},{"dim":true,"runs":[{"kind":"TEXT","text":"(idiom)","orthography":null,"phonetic":null,"phoneticKey":null,"readingId":null}]}]},{"segments":[{"dim":false,"runs":[{"kind":"TEXT","text":"to change something that is already settled upon","orthography":null,"phonetic":null,"phoneticKey":null,"readingId":null}]}]}]},{"qualifier":null,"synonyms":[{"segments":[{"dim":false,"runs":[{"kind":"TEXT","text":"indecisive","orthography":null,"phonetic":null,"phoneticKey":null,"readingId":null}]}]}]},{"qualifier":null,"synonyms":[{"segments":[{"dim":false,"runs":[{"kind":"TEXT","text":"to blow hot and cold","orthography":null,"phonetic":null,"phoneticKey":null,"readingId":null}]}]}]}],"additional":[],"notes":[],"variantMeanings":[]},"classifiers":[],"pos":["VERB","ADJECTIVE"],"frequency":43307,"grammar":[],"spokenPhonetic":null},"otherReadings":[],"examples":[],"carriedReadings":[{"orthography":{"forms":{"SIMPLIFIED":["朝"],"TRADITIONAL":["朝"]}},"phonetic":"zhāo","primaryPhonetic":"cháo"}],"constructions":[],"status":null,"due":null,"reps":null,"lapses":null,"lastReview":null,"senses":[],"origins":[{"literal":"three in the morning, and four in the evening","content":[{"type":"paragraph","text":{"simplified":"From a parable seen in both Zhuangzi (see quote below) and Liezi.","traditional":null}}],"examples":[{"text":{"simplified":"狙公赋芧，曰：「朝三而暮四。」众狙皆怒。曰：「然则朝四而暮三。」众狙皆悦。","traditional":"狙公賦芧，曰：「朝三而暮四。」衆狙皆怒。曰：「然則朝四而暮三。」衆狙皆悅。"},"phonetic":"Jū gōng fù xù, yuē: “Zhāo sān ér mù sì.” Zhòng jū jiē nù. Yuē: “Rán zé zhāo sì ér mù sān.” Zhòng jū jiē yuè.","english":"There was a man who kept monkeys as pets. While feeding chestnuts to the monkeys, he said, \"[I will feed you] three [chestnuts] in the morning, and four in the evening.\" The monkeys all went angry. The man later said, \"How about four in the morning, and three in the evening?\" The monkeys all became happy.","ref":"Zhuangzi, circa 3ʳᵈ – 2ⁿᵈ centuries BCE"}],"senseScoped":false}],"decks":[{"id":7,"sourceName":"HSK 3.0","name":"Levels 7-9"},{"id":27,"sourceName":"Chengyu","name":"Chengyu"}],"vocabularyScale":null,"vocabularyLevel":null}}