諺語 · a single proverb
指鹿為馬
Simplified: 指鹿为马
What does 指鹿為馬 (zhǐ lù wéi mǎ) mean?
指鹿為馬 (zhǐ lù wéi mǎ) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "point at a deer and call it a horse." In use it means: Deliberately distorting the truth to test loyalty or exert power; calling something what it is not. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Horse.
Literally: "point at a deer and call it a horse."
The reading
He brought a deer to court and called it a horse. Everyone who agreed kept their position. Everyone who told the truth learned what truth costs in a room where power has decided what reality is.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Records of the Grand Historian 史記, Zhao Gao 趙高
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Courage & Decisive Action, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 指鹿為馬 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 指鹿為馬 (zhǐ lù wéi mǎ) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Records of the Grand Historian 史記, Zhao Gao 趙高. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 指鹿為馬?
In Mandarin it is zhǐ lù wéi mǎ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 指鹿為馬 aloud in Mandarin.