# 朝三暮四
## Chinese

| | | morning | three | evening; dusk; sunsetevening; dusk; sunset; (of time) late; closing | four |
| trad. (朝三暮四) | trad. (朝三暮四) | 朝 | 三 | 暮 | 四 |
| simp. $^#$(朝三暮四) | simp. $^#$(朝三暮四) | 朝 | 三 | 暮 | 四 |
| alternative forms | alternative forms | 朝四暮三 暮四朝三 | 朝四暮三 暮四朝三 | 朝四暮三 暮四朝三 | 朝四暮三 暮四朝三 |
| anagrams | anagrams | 朝四暮三 暮四朝三 | 朝四暮三 暮四朝三 | 朝四暮三 暮四朝三 | 朝四暮三 暮四朝三 |
| Literally: “three in the morning, and four in the evening”. ||||||

### Etymology

From a parable seen in both Zhuangzi (see quote below) and Liezi.
    狙公賦芧，曰：「朝三而暮四。」衆狙皆怒。曰：「然則朝四而暮三。」衆狙皆悅。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]狙公赋芧，曰：「朝三而暮四。」众狙皆怒。曰：「然则朝四而暮三。」众狙皆悦。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]From: Zhuangzi, circa 3rd – 2nd centuries BCEJū gōng fù xù, yuē: “Zhāo sān ér mù sì.” Zhòng jū jiē nù. Yuē: “Rán zé zhāo sì ér mù sān.” Zhòng jū jiē yuè. [Pinyin]There was a man who kept monkeys as pets. While feeding chestnuts to the monkeys, he said, "[I will feed you] three [chestnuts] in the morning, and four in the evening." The monkeys all went angry. The man later said, "How about four in the morning, and three in the evening?" The monkeys all became happy.

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): zhāosānmùsì
    (Zhuyin): ㄓㄠ ㄙㄢ ㄇㄨˋ ㄙˋ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): ziu$^1$ saam$^1$ mou$^6$ sei$^3$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: zhāosānmùsì
*** Zhuyin: ㄓㄠ ㄙㄢ ㄇㄨˋ ㄙˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: jhaosanmùsìh
*** Wade–Giles: chao$^1$-san$^1$-mu$^4$-ssŭ$^4$
*** Yale: jāu-sān-mù-sz̀
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jausanmuhsyh
*** Palladius: чжаосаньмусы (čžaosanʹmusy)
*** Sinological IPA : /ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ sän⁵⁵ mu⁵¹⁻⁵³ sz̩⁵¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: ziu$^1$ saam$^1$ mou$^6$ sei$^3$
*** Yale: jīu sāam mouh sei
*** Cantonese Pinyin: dziu$^1$ saam$^1$ mou$^6$ sei$^3$
*** Guangdong Romanization: jiu$^1$ sam$^1$ mou$^6$ séi$^3$
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡siːu̯⁵⁵ saːm⁵⁵ mou̯²² sei̯³³/
* Middle Chinese: trjew sam muH sijH
Rime :
| Character | 朝 | 三 | 暮 | 四 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 知 (9) | 心 (16) | 明 (4) | 心 (16) |
| Final (韻) | 宵 (92) | 談 (143) | 模 (23) | 脂 (15) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) | Level (Ø) | Departing (H) | Departing (H) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | III | I | I | III |
| Fanqie | 陟遙切 | 蘇甘切 | 莫故切 | 息利切 |
| Baxter | trjew | sam | muH | sijH |
| Reconstructions |||||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /ʈˠiᴇu/ | /sɑm/ | /muo$^H$/ | /siɪ$^H$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /ʈᵚiɛu/ | /sɑm/ | /muo$^H$/ | /si$^H$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /ȶiæu/ | /sɑm/ | /mo$^H$/ | /sjɪ$^H$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /ʈiaw/ | /sam/ | /mɔ$^H$/ | /si$^H$/ |
| Li Rong | /ȶjɛu/ | /sɑm/ | /mo$^H$/ | /si$^H$/ |
| Wang Li | /ȶĭɛu/ | /sɑm/ | /mu$^H$/ | /si$^H$/ |
| Bernard Karlgren | /ȶi̯ɛu/ | /sɑm/ | /muo$^H$/ | /si$^H$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | zhāo | sān | mù | sì |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | ziu$^1$ | saam$^1$ | mou$^6$ | si$^3$ |

### Idiom

朝三暮四
* (original meaning, obsolete) to deceive using tricks; to take in someone
* (now more commonly, derogatory) to change one's mind frequently; to blow hot and cold; to be fickle or capricious

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: 朝(ちょう)三(さん)暮(ぼ)四(し) (chōsanboshi)
* → Korean: 조삼모사(朝三暮四) (josammosa)

#### See also

* 朝秦暮楚 (zhāoqínmùchǔ)

## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 朝 | 三 | 暮 | 四 |
| ちょう Grade: 2 | さん Grade: 1 | ぼ Grade: 6 | し Grade: 1 |
| on'yomi ||||

### Etymology

Derived from, and now a false friend of Chinese 朝三暮四 (zhāosānmùsì).

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) ちょーさんぼし [chòósáńbóꜜshì] (Nakadaka – [5])
* IPA: [t͡ɕo̞ːsã̠mbo̞ɕi]

### Noun

朝(ちょう)三(さん)暮(ぼ)四(し) • (chōsanboshi)
* a focus on cosmetic differences between two objects without realizing that they are substantively identical, distinction without a difference
* the act of deceiving a person

### References

* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN