三人成虎 — “A lie repeated by many people can eventually be mistaken for the truth”

三人成虎 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a lie repeated by many people can eventually be mistaken for the truth”. Refers to the phenomenon where widespread rumors or unfounded reports can mislead people and obscure the facts. Literally, “Three people make a tiger”.

Frequency

三人成虎 Pronunciation and Pinyin

三人成虎 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
三	sān	3	the number three
人	rén	2	human being, person
成	chéng	7	to become or succeed
虎	hǔ	8	Tiger; brave; intimidate

Example Sentence with 三人成虎

关于这次活动的一些负面评价，很多都是道听途说，如果不仔细核实，很容易三人成虎，影响活动的正常进行。

Many of the negative comments about this event are hearsay; if not carefully verified, it's easy for rumors to spread and be taken as truth, affecting the normal progress of the event.

Origin and Story of 三人成虎

During the Warring States period, states often exchanged princes as hostages to ensure mutual trust and alliance. The 'Strategies of the Warring States: Strategies of Wei' records such an incident: Pang Cong, a minister of the State of Wei, was about to accompany Prince Wei to the State of Zhao as a hostage. Before departing, he asked King Wei: 'If one person tells you there's a tiger in the marketplace, would Your Majesty believe it?' The King replied, 'I would not.' Pang Cong continued, 'What if a second person tells you there's a tiger in the marketplace, would Your Majesty believe it?' The King said, 'I would be somewhat doubtful, but starting to wonder.' Pang Cong then asked, 'What if a third person tells you there's a tiger in the marketplace, would Your Majesty believe it?' The King replied, 'Of course, I would believe it then.'

Pang Cong then explained, 'It's obvious there are no tigers in the marketplace, yet after three people claim there is, it seems to become true. Now, Handan, the capital of Zhao, is much farther from Daliang, the capital of Wei, than the marketplace is from here, and those who speak ill of me will be more than just three. I hope Your Majesty will discern carefully.' King Wei responded, 'I understand.'

Later, when Pang Cong returned with the prince, King Wei indeed never summoned him again.

A marketplace is a crowded place; there would naturally be no tigers. Saying there is a tiger is clearly a rumor or deception, but if many people repeat it, without seeking the truth, one might often believe it to be real. This story originally satirized King Hui of Wei's gullibility, but later generations adopted the idiom '三人成虎' (three people make a tiger) to signify that widespread rumors can obscure the truth.

For example: To determine the authenticity of a matter, one must investigate and think carefully, rather than merely relying on hearsay. Otherwise, '三人成虎,' and rumors might mistakenly be taken as facts.