Morning three night four (朝三暮四) — Chinglish Slang

Slang Name：Morning three night four

Chinese：朝三暮四

Type：Internet Slang / Chinglish Slang

English：
A literal translation of the Chinese idiom "朝三暮四" (zhāo sān mù sì), meaning "three in the morning, four at night." The original idiom describes someone who is fickle or inconsistent, changing their mind constantly. The Chinglish version brilliantly preserves the absurd imagery of changing numbers from morning to night.

中文：
中文成语"朝三暮四"的直译，字面意思是"早上三个，晚上四个"。原成语形容一个人反复无常、变来变去。中式英语版精彩地保留了从早到晚换数字的荒诞画面感。

The Chinese idiom "朝三暮四" (zhāo sān mù sì) originates from a story in the Zhuangzi about a monkey keeper who changed the monkeys' food rations from three chestnuts in the morning and four at night to four in the morning and three at night — the monkeys were happy with the change even though the total was the same. Over time, it came to describe someone who is fickle in relationships or inconsistent in their opinions. The literal Chinglish translation became popular for its hilarious numerical imagery.

中文：中文成语"朝三暮四"出自《庄子》里的一个故事，讲的是养猴人把猴子的食物从早上三个栗子晚上四个改成早上四个晚上三个——总量不变但猴子很高兴。后来演变为形容感情中三心二意或意见反复无常的人。直译的中式英语版因其搞笑的数字画面感而走红。