JLPT N2Four-character idioms
朝三暮四
- Meaning
- 目先の違いに気を取られ結局同じだと気づかないこと
- Explanation
- "朝三暮四" comes from an old Chinese tale: when the nuts given to monkeys were set at three in the morning and four in the evening, they got angry, but when set at four in the morning and three in the evening, they were pleased. From this, it expresses being caught up in immediate differences and failing to notice that the result is the same in the end. c2 "regular meals" is an error drawn from the literal characters.
Original Japanese explanation
「朝三暮四」は、中国の故事に由来し、サルに与える木の実を朝三つ夕四つにすると怒り、朝四つ夕三つにすると喜んだ話から、目先の違いにとらわれて結局同じだと気づかないことを表します。c2の「規則正しい食事」は字面に引かれた誤りです。
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