250Japanese idiom 四字熟語
朝三暮四
ちょうさんぼしChōsan boshi
“Three in the morning, four at night.”
The meaning
The monkeys refused three chestnuts in the morning and four at night, but accepted four then three. We laugh at them — and daily fall for the same dressings of the same total.
At the origin
Zhuangzi's parable on form deceiving judgment.
The characters
In practice
Facing a reworded offer, recompute the total before rejoicing.
Editorial note
Classical Chinese origin (Zhuangzi).
Themes
Similar proverbs
- 064 早起きは三文の徳 Early rising earns three coins of profit.
- 086 二度あることは三度ある What happens twice will happen three times.
- 219 この道や行く人なしに秋の暮 This road — no one else walks it. Autumn evening.
- 231 鶏頭の十四五本もありぬべし Cockscombs — there must be fourteen, maybe fifteen.
- 043 灯台下暗し The base of the lamp stands in darkness.