JLPT N1Proverbs
朝三暮四
- Meaning
- 言葉巧みに人をだましたり目先の違いに惑わされたりすること
- Explanation
- From the anecdote in which monkeys were pleased merely by rephrasing the acorns given to them from "three in the morning, four in the evening" to "four in the morning, three in the evening," it means deceiving people with clever words, or being caught up in immediate differences and losing sight of the essence. c3, which interprets it as teaching that the total is the same, captures only one aspect of the anecdote and misses the lesson.
Original Japanese explanation
猿に与えるトチの実を「朝三つ夕四つ」から「朝四つ夕三つ」と言い換えただけで猿が喜んだ故事から、口先で人をだますことや、目先の差にとらわれて本質を見失うこと。合計が同じだと諭す c3 は故事の一面だけで、教訓としてはずれます。
Quick check
Please choose the most appropriate meaning expressed by 「朝三暮四」.
Tap the answer you think is right.
