以假乱真 Yǐ Jiǎ Luàn Zhēn to use fake to confuse the genuine

Explanation

用假的东西冒充真的东西，使人难以辨别真假。

To use fake things to impersonate real things, making it difficult for people to distinguish between true and false.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，有一位名叫张三的巧匠，技艺高超，擅长制作各种精巧的工艺品。一次，他受命为皇帝制作一件玉器，但时间紧迫，张三不得不夜以继日地赶工。然而，在制作过程中，他发现一块重要的玉料出现了裂纹，这使得原本完美的玉器出现了瑕疵。为了不耽误工期，张三灵机一动，用一块品质相近的玉料巧妙地修补了裂纹，并用他精湛的技艺将修补的部分处理得天衣无缝。最终，这件玉器以假乱真，精美绝伦，连皇帝都赞叹不已。但张三内心却始终不安，因为这件看似完美的玉器，其中却藏着一个秘密。后来，张三将此事告知了好友李四，李四叹道：‘你以精湛技艺以假乱真，虽蒙蔽了世人，却也欺骗了自己。’张三听后深感自责，从此更加注重技艺的真挚和技艺的纯粹，不再为了迎合世人的眼球而弄虚作假。

huà shuō táng cháo shí qī, yǒu yī wèi míng jiào zhāng sān de qiǎo jiàng, jì yì gāo chāo, shàn cháng zhì zuò gè zhǒng jīng qiǎo de gōng yì pǐn. yī cì, tā shòu mìng wèi huáng dì zhì zuò yī jiàn yù qì, dàn shí jiān jǐn pò, zhāng sān bù dé bù yè yǐ rì de gǎn gōng. rán ér, zài zhì zuò guò chéng zhōng, tā fā xiàn yī kuài zhòng yào de yù liào chū xiàn le liè wén, zhè shǐ de yuán běn wán měi de yù qì chū xiàn le xiá cī. wèi le bù dān wù gōng qī, zhāng sān líng jī yī dòng, yòng yī kuài pǐn zhì xiāng jìn de yù liào qiǎo miào de xiū bǔ le liè wén, bìng yòng tā jīng zhàn de jì yì jiāng xiū bǔ de bù fèn chǔ lǐ de tiān yī wú fèng. zuì zhōng, zhè jiàn yù qì yǐ jiǎ luàn zhēn, jīng měi jū lún, lián huáng dì dōu zàn tàn bù yǐ. dàn zhāng sān nèi xīn què shǐ zhōng bù ān, yīn wèi zhè jiàn kàn sì wán měi de yù qì, qí zhōng què cáng zhe yī gè mìmì. hòu lái, zhāng sān jiāng cǐ shì gào zhì le hǎo yǒu lǐ sì, lǐ sì tàn dào: ‘nǐ yǐ jīng zhàn jì yì yǐ jiǎ luàn zhēn, suī méng bì le shì rén, què yě qī piàn le zì jǐ.’ zhāng sān tīng hòu shēn gǎn zì zé, cóng cǐ gèng jiā zhòng shì jì yì de zhēn zhì hé jì yì de chún cuì, bù zài wèi le yíng hé shì rén de yǎn qiú ér nòng xū zuò jiǎ.

During the Tang Dynasty, there was a skilled craftsman named Zhang San, renowned for his exquisite artistry. Once, he was commissioned by the emperor to create a jade artifact, but the tight deadline forced him to work day and night. During the process, however, he discovered a crack in a crucial piece of jade, marring the otherwise flawless creation. To avoid missing the deadline, Zhang San cleverly repaired the crack with a similar piece of jade, employing his mastery to seamlessly blend the repair. The final artifact, indistinguishable from a genuine piece, was so exquisite that even the emperor praised it. Yet, Zhang San felt uneasy, harboring the secret of the repair. Later, he confided in his friend Li Si, who sighed, “You, with your exquisite skills, created an illusion, deceiving the world, yet deceiving yourself as well.” Zhang San felt deep remorse, and thereafter prioritized authenticity and purity in his craft, abandoning deception for the sake of superficial admiration.

Usage

形容用假的东西冒充真的东西，使人难以辨别真假。常用来比喻假冒伪劣的事情。

xiáoróng yòng jiǎ de dōngxi màochōng zhēn de dōngxi, shǐ rén nányǐ biànbié zhēn jiǎ. cháng yòng lái bǐ yù jiǎ mào wěiliè de shìqíng

To describe using fake things to impersonate real things, making it difficult for people to distinguish between true and false. It is often used to describe counterfeit or inferior things.

Examples

• 这幅画的做工如此精细，简直是以假乱真。

  zhè fú huà de zuò gōng rú cǐ jīng xì, jiǎn zhí shì yǐ jiǎ luàn zhēn

  The workmanship of this painting is so fine that it is almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

• 一些骗子利用高科技手段以假乱真，骗取钱财。

  yī xiē piàn zi lì yòng gāo kē jì shǒu duàn yǐ jiǎ luàn zhēn, piàn qǔ qián cái

  Some swindlers use high-tech methods to counterfeit things and defraud money.

Related Idioms

• 鱼目混珠

• 假冒伪劣

Opposite Idioms

• 露馅儿

• 原形毕露