指鹿为马 — “To deliberately misrepresent facts”
指鹿为马 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to deliberately misrepresent facts”. To call white black; to confuse right and wrong; to intentionally distort the truth. Literally, “To point to a deer and call it a horse”.
指鹿为马 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 指zhǐ
- 鹿lù
- 为wéi
- 马mǎ
指鹿为马 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 指鹿为马
Origin and Story of 指鹿为马
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.
Idioms Related to 指鹿为马
Antonyms of 指鹿为马
More idioms starting with 指
- zhǐ指yī一shuō说shí十exaggerate a minor issue
- zhǐ指bù不shèng胜lǚ偻too many to count
- zhǐ指bù不shèng胜qū屈too many to count
- zhǐ指bù不shèng胜shù数too numerous to count
- zhǐ指dōng东huà划xī西talk evasively or beat around the bush
- zhǐ指dōng东dǎ打xī西feint east, attack west
- zhǐ指dōng东huà画xī西Beat around the bush
- zhǐ指dōng东huà话xī西talk aimlessly or evasively
- zhǐ指dōng东shuō说xī西Beat around the bush
- zhǐ指dōng东mà骂xī西criticize indirectly
- zhǐ指shì事lèi类qíng情explain principles and illustrate situations
- zhǐ指qīn亲tuō托gù故claim kinship or feign acquaintance
Questions about 指鹿为马
- What does 指鹿为马 mean?
- 指鹿为马 (zhǐ lù wéi mǎ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to deliberately misrepresent facts”.
- How do you pronounce 指鹿为马?
- 指鹿为马 is pronounced zhǐ lù wéi mǎ in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 指鹿为马 literally mean?
- Literally, 指鹿为马 means “to point to a deer and call it a horse”. It is used to mean “to deliberately misrepresent facts”.
- Where does 指鹿为马 come from?
- 指鹿为马 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 指鹿为马?
- 指着鹿，说是马。比喻故意颠倒黑白，混淆是非。