“朝三暮四” 的古于今

有成语的意义随时间推移而改变。“朝三暮四”就是其中一个典型的例子。这个成语来源于中国古代的寓言：从前有一个养多猴子当宠物的老人。他跟猴子的关系很好，可是猴子那么多，老人财产不够。因而，他有一天认定降低猴子的食物。首先，他告诉猴子：“我早上给你们三颗橡子，晚上给四颗”，它们一听这话就对着老人大喊大叫地发脾气。然后，老人告诉猴子：“好的，我早上给你们四颗橡子，晚上给三颗”。这样，猴子以为老人屈服于它们，所以马上安静下来。

古代的意义是你不应该太关心得失因为到最后你会发现没有失去什么。然而，现代的意义形容不坚定的人。

The ancient and modern meaning of "朝三暮四"

There are idioms whose meanings have changed over time. "朝三暮四" is a typical example of this. This idiom comes from an ancient Chinese fable: Once upon a time, there was an old man who kept many monkeys as pets. He had a good relationship with the monkeys, but there were so many that the old man's money was not enough. So one day he decided to reduce the monkey's food. First, he told the monkeys: "I will give you three acorns in the morning and four in the evening." When they heard this, they got angry and yelled at the old man. Then, the old man told the monkey: "Okay, I will give you four acorns in the morning and three in the evening." This way, the monkeys thought that the old man gave in to their demands, so they immediately became quiet.

The ancient meaning is that you should not care too much about gains and losses because in the end, you will find that you lost nothing. However, the modern meaning describes an indecisive person.