zhāo朝morningsān三threemù暮eveningsì四four
Three in the morning, four in the evening — capricious, fickle, changing one's mind.
Literal meaning
morning (朝) — three (三) — evening (暮) — four (四)
Origin
Zhuangzi (《庄子·齐物论》). A monkey trainer told his monkeys he'd give them three acorns in the morning and four in the evening. They were furious. He switched: four in the morning, three in the evening. They cheered. The total was the same. Zhuangzi used the parable to mock people swayed by superficial framing — and modern usage extended it to mean general fickleness.
Examples
Tā他zhāo朝sān三mù暮sì四，shéi谁yě也bù不zhī知dào道tā他xià下yí一bù步xiǎng想zuò做shén什me么。
He's so fickle no one knows what he'll do next.
Zuò做shì事bù不néng能zhāo朝sān三mù暮sì四。
You can't get things done flipping back and forth.
Usage & nuances
Critical tone. Targets fickle behaviour — especially about love, career, or political stance.
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