三六九等 three, six, nine classes
Explanation
这个成语的意思是说等级和类别很多，有种种差别。它通常用来比喻社会上人与人之间地位的不同，也用来比喻事物之间的差别。例如：三六九等的社会阶层、三六九等的商品质量、三六九等的职业发展等等。
This idiom means that there are many levels and categories, and there are various differences. It is usually used to describe the difference in status between people in society, but also to describe the difference between things. For example, social classes, quality of goods, career development, etc.
Origin Story
从前，在一个偏僻的小村庄里，住着三个年轻人：张三、李四和王五。他们都是农民，每天辛勤地劳作，却过着贫苦的生活。一天，村里来了一个算命先生，他给村民们算命，并说出了每个人未来的命运。算命先生给张三说，你将来会成为富甲一方的商人。算命先生给李四说，你将来会成为官运亨通的官员。算命先生给王五说，你将来会成为名满天下的英雄。三个年轻人听了算命先生的话都很高兴，他们梦想着将来能实现自己的理想。 张三为了成为富甲一方的商人，他开始学习经商，到处奔走，最后终于在城里开了一家店铺。李四为了成为官运亨通的官员，他开始学习科举，努力读书，最后终于考上了进士。王五为了成为名满天下的英雄，他开始学习武术，刻苦练习，最后终于成为了一名优秀的士兵。 几年后，张三、李四和王五都获得了成功。张三成了富商，李四当上了官，王五也成了英雄。可是，他们却越来越感到孤独和空虚。因为他们发现，自己一直生活在一种三六九等的社会阶层中，他们总是被别人仰视，也总是被别人嫉妒。他们曾经为了追求自己的梦想，付出了很多努力，可是最终却发现，自己追求的只是一个虚名而已。 张三、李四和王五开始反思自己的生活，他们终于明白，真正的幸福不是来自于金钱、地位和名声，而是来自于内心深处的满足。他们决定放弃自己曾经追求的虚名，回到乡村，过着平静而充实的生活。
Once upon a time, in a remote village, there lived three young men: Zhang San, Li Si, and Wang Wu. They were all farmers, working hard every day, but living a poor life. One day, a fortune teller came to the village. He told the villagers their fortunes and said what their future would be. The fortune teller told Zhang San, “You will become a rich businessman.” The fortune teller told Li Si, “You will become an official with a successful career.” The fortune teller told Wang Wu, “You will become a famous hero.” The three young men were very happy to hear the fortune teller’s words. They dreamed of achieving their ideals in the future. Zhang San, in order to become a rich businessman, began to learn about business and traveled everywhere. Finally, he opened a shop in the city. Li Si, in order to become an official with a successful career, began to learn about the civil service examination and studied hard. Finally, he passed the examination and became a scholar. Wang Wu, in order to become a famous hero, began to learn martial arts and practiced diligently. Finally, he became an excellent soldier. A few years later, Zhang San, Li Si, and Wang Wu all succeeded. Zhang San became a wealthy businessman, Li Si became an official, and Wang Wu became a hero. However, they became increasingly lonely and empty. Because they found that they had always lived in a society divided into three classes. They were always looked up to by others, and they were always envied by others. They had worked hard to pursue their dreams, but in the end, they found that what they had pursued was only an empty title. Zhang San, Li Si, and Wang Wu began to reflect on their lives. Finally, they realized that true happiness does not come from money, status, or fame, but from inner satisfaction. They decided to give up the empty titles they had once pursued, return to the countryside, and live a peaceful and fulfilling life.
Usage
这个成语常用来比喻社会中存在等级差别，不同的人拥有不同的地位、权利和义务。它也用来描述事物之间的差别，比如商品质量、职业发展等。
This idiom is often used to describe the existence of class differences in society, where different people have different positions, rights, and obligations. It is also used to describe the difference between things, such as quality of goods, career development, etc.
Examples
-
社会上总有一些人分三六九等，看不起普通人。
she hui shang zong you yi xie ren fen san liu jiu deng, kan bu qi pu tong ren.
There are always some people in society who divide people into three classes, looking down upon ordinary people.
-
公司里，各个部门的待遇也是三六九等。
gong si li, ge ge bu men de dai yu ye shi san liu jiu deng.
In a company, the treatment of different departments is also graded.
-
有些人以为读书没有用，把读书人看成三六九等，其实这是错误的观点。
you xie ren yi wei du shu mei you yong, ba du shu ren kan cheng san liu jiu deng, qi shi zhe shi cuo wu de guan dian
Some people think that education is useless and regard educated people as inferior. This is actually a wrong view.