To deliberately misrepresent facts; to call white black; to confuse right and wrong; to intentionally distort the truth.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Antonym:
Story:
During the reign of Qin Er Shi (the Second Emperor of Qin), Prime Minister Zhao Gao, ambitious and scheming, constantly plotted to usurp the throne. However, he was unsure how many court officials would obey him and how many would oppose him. So, he devised a plan to test his authority and identify those who dared to defy him.
One day, during a morning court session, Zhao Gao had a deer brought in. With a smile, he said to Qin Er Shi, "Your Majesty, I present to you a fine horse." Qin Er Shi looked at it and thought, "This is clearly a deer, not a horse!" He laughed and said to Zhao Gao, "Prime Minister, you've made a mistake. This is a deer, how can you call it a horse?"
Zhao Gao, without changing his expression, calmly asserted, "Your Majesty, please look closely; this is indeed a swift horse." Qin Er Shi looked at the deer again, half-believing, half-doubting, and asked, "How can a horse have antlers on its head?" Zhao Gao then turned and pointed to the assembled ministers, loudly declaring, "If Your Majesty doesn't believe my words, you can ask the ministers present."
The ministers were all baffled by Zhao Gao's absurd statement, whispering among themselves: "What is Zhao Gao up to? It's clearly a deer, not a horse!" When they saw Zhao Gao's sinister smile and his eyes darting from person to person, they suddenly understood his intention. Some timid but righteous officials lowered their heads, daring not to speak, because speaking falsely would go against their conscience, while speaking the truth would risk future retribution from Zhao Gao. Some upright individuals insisted it was a deer, not a horse. Others, who usually followed Zhao Gao, immediately supported his claim, telling the Emperor, "This is indeed a swift horse!"
Afterward, Zhao Gao used various means to punish those upright ministers who did not conform to his wishes, some even having their entire families executed. This story originates from "Records of the Grand Historian: Annals of Qin Shi Huang". The idiom "指鹿为马" (zhǐ lù wéi mǎ) is used to describe deliberately distorting facts and confusing right with wrong.