To be fickle and manipulative; to be inconsistent and unpredictable, often changing one's stance or attitude quickly for personal gain or to deceive others.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
During the Tang Dynasty, the renowned poet Du Fu lived through a period when the once prosperous empire was beginning to decline. He keenly observed and deeply felt the snobbery and insincerity prevalent in high society, witnessing widespread deceit and opportunism. This experience led him to recall the sincere and profound friendship between Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya from the Spring and Autumn Period, a stark contrast to the superficial relationships he saw around him. Stirred by these reflections on past genuine camaraderie and present moral decay, he composed the poem "Pín Jiāo Háng" (贫交行, "Song of Poor Friends").
In this poem, he wrote the lines: "翻手作云覆手雨，纷纷轻薄何须数。" (Fān shǒu zuò yún, fù shǒu yǔ, fēnfēn qīngbó hé xū shǔ.) These lines, which literally mean "Turning a hand, one makes clouds; turning it over, one makes rain; how can one count the multitude of fickle and shallow people?" gave birth to the idiom "翻云覆雨", metaphorically describing those who are as changeable as the weather and prone to deceit or manipulation.