“Calling a deer a horse” means to deceive for ill gain.
Calling a Deer a Horse (指鹿为马)
The Chinese idiom “calling a deer a horse” (指鹿为马 – zhǐ lù wéi mǎ) goes all they way back to the first Chinese Dynasty, the Qin Dynasty. A figure by the name of Zhao Gao (赵高 — Zhào Gāo) receives the credit for this four word Chinese idiom, a 成语 chéngyǔ.
What “Calling a Deer a Horse” means
“Calling a deer a horse” is used to describe a situation where “black” is called “white” and vice versa for the purpose of manipulating people to advance one’s evil agenda.
The Story Behind “Calling a Deer a Horse”
The second Qin emperor, Qin Er Shi (秦二世 ) who reigned from 221 to 206 B.C., had a prime minister named Zhao Gao. Zhao Gao was very ambitious and had treasonous ambitions. He wanted to attempt a coup of Qin Er Shi but didn’t know who in the Emperor’s court would go along with his plans.
One day Zhao Gao presented the Emperor with a deer, but said it was a swift horse.
“Prime Minister, you are clearly mistaken. That is a deer.’
Zhao Gao, prepared for this response replied, “If that is the case, Your Majesty, ask the member of your court what it is.”
Some of the court remained quiet. Some, knowing how treacherous Zhao Gao was, went along with his claim. Others, called a spade a spade and told the Emperor it was a deer.
Knowing who his allies were, those royal courtiers who said the animal was a deer were executed. The cunning Zhao Gao knew who his allies were.
The Closest Story in Western Culture….
I suppose the closest thing to this account in Western culture would be the story of “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. That story isn’t as nefarious as “calling a deer a horse”, but both stories use deception by saying that something is that really isn’t.
Can you think of other examples? If so, please leave a comment below.
Pronouncing Chinese
A couple of times in this post there are Chinese characters that have a pronunciation system, “pinyin” next to them. If you want to learn more about how to pronounce Chinese words, check out my post “Learn Chinese Pronunciation: Yoyo Chinese Pinyin Chart”.
