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HSK 4 Chinese reading practice

指鹿为马

zhǐ lù wéi mǎ

Calling a Deer a Horse

Zhao Gao presents a deer as a horse and watches which officials dare to disagree.

RECOMMENDEDHSK 4
READ2 min
HANZI165
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CULTURE

Meaning and source

Retold from Sima Qian’s Shiji, Annals of the First Emperor of Qin. 指鹿为马 (zhǐ lù wéi mǎ), literally ‘point at a deer and call it a horse,’ means deliberately reversing right and wrong or distorting facts, often through power or pressure. It is stronger than simply making an innocent mistake.

Key vocabulary13 words from this story
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Check your understanding

Answer three questions without looking at the English translation.

01赵高带去的是什么动物？
02有些大臣为什么说那是马？
03那些说是鹿的人，后来怎么样了？
0 / 3questions answered
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Chinese idiom guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about 指鹿为马

What does 指鹿为马 mean in English?

指鹿为马 (zhǐ lù wéi mǎ) literally means “point at a deer and call it a horse.” It describes deliberately distorting facts or reversing right and wrong, often by using power or pressure to make others agree.

When is 指鹿为马 used?

Use 指鹿为马 (zhǐ lù wéi mǎ) to criticize intentional misrepresentation. It is a strong accusation, suited to a clearly deliberate distortion rather than an innocent mistake or a reasonable difference of opinion. In the Shiji episode, Zhao Gao uses the false claim to test which officials will obey him. For example: 明明是产品有问题，他却硬说是顾客不会使用，这不是指鹿为马吗？ (The product is clearly faulty, yet he insists that the customer does not know how to use it. Isn’t that deliberately twisting the facts?)

What is the pinyin for 指鹿为马?

The pinyin pronunciation for 指鹿为马 is “zhǐ lù wéi mǎ.”