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朝三暮四

zhāo sān mù sìdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. say three in the morning but four in the evening (idiom) / to change sth that is already settled upon / indecisive / to blow hot and cold
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-0e0ac7c54abe4330. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

朝三暮四 朝三暮四 [zhao1 san1 mu4 si4] /lit. say three in the morning but four in the evening (idiom); to change sth that is already settled upon/indecisive/to blow hot and cold/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 朝
    cháo

    imperial or royal court / government / dynasty / reign of a sovereign or emperor / court or assembly held by a sovereign or emperor / to make a pilgrimage to / facing / towards

    zhāo

    morning

    Cháo

    abbr. for 朝鮮|朝鲜[Cháo xiǎn] Korea

  • 三
    sān

    three / 3

    Sān

    surname San

  • 暮
    mù

    evening / sunset

  • 四
    sì

    four / 4

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.