指鹿为马
- Literal
- point at a deer and call it a horse
- Figurative
- To call a deer a horse: to deliberately distort the truth, brazenly passing off a lie by abusing one's power.
Where does 指鹿为马 come from?
In the Qin dynasty, after the death of the First Emperor, the powerful eunuch Zhao Gao wanted to find out who at court dared to oppose him. He presented a deer to Emperor Hu Hai, insisting it was a horse. The ministers who went along with him out of fear were spared, while those who told the truth and called it a deer were later hunted down and eliminated by Zhao Gao.
Source (出处): 《史记》
How is 指鹿为马 used? Two examples
- 数据明明在下降，他却指鹿为马，硬说业绩很好。
The numbers are clearly falling, yet he calls a deer a horse and stubbornly claims the results are excellent.
- 面对证据，他还敢指鹿为马，真是颠倒黑白。
Faced with the evidence, he still dares to call a deer a horse, turning black into white outright.
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