众说纷纭 zhòng shuō fēn yún various opinions

Explanation

许多人说法不一，议论纷纷。

Many people have different opinions and discuss lively.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，长安城里发生了一件怪事：城西的护城河突然干涸了。一时间，坊间议论纷纷，众说纷纭。有人说这是上天示警，预示着将有大灾大难；有人说是河神发怒，要惩罚百姓；还有人说这是地龙翻身，导致河水枯竭。更有甚者，竟然有人说这是妖魔鬼怪作祟，要把长安城变成人间地狱。一时间，各种说法满天飞，让人难以分辨真伪。就连朝廷里的大臣们也对此事议论纷纷，无法达成一致。最终，经过细致的调查，人们发现原来是因为河道淤塞，才导致护城河干涸。于是，大家齐心协力，疏通了河道，护城河里的水又重新流淌起来。这场闹剧也让大家明白，面对问题，不能轻信谣言，而应该实事求是地寻找真相，才能拨开迷雾，找到解决问题的办法。

huà shuō táng cháo shíqí, cháng'ān chéng lǐ fāshēng le yī jiàn guài shì: chéng xī de hù chéng hé tūrán gānhé le. yī shí jiān, fāng jiān yìlùn fēnfēn, zhòng shuō fēn yún. yǒurén shuō zhè shì shàng tiān shì jǐng, yùshì zhe jiāng yǒu dà zāi dà nàn; yǒurén shuō shì hé shén fā nù, yào chéngfá bǎixìng; hái yǒurén shuō zhè shì dì lóng fān shēn, dǎozhì hé shuǐ kūjié. gèng yǒu shèn zhě, jìng rán yǒurén shuō zhè shì yāo mó guǐ guài zuò cuì, yào bǎ cháng'ān chéng biàn chéng rén jiān dìyù. yī shí jiān, gè zhǒng shuōfǎ mǎn tiān fēi, ràng rén nán yǐ fēnbiàn zhēnwěi. lián jiù cháoting lǐ de dà chén men yě duì cǐ shì yìlùn fēnfēn, wúfǎ dá chéng yī zhì. zuìzhōng, jīngguò xìzhì de diàochá, rénmen fāxiàn yuánlái shì yīnwèi hé dào yūsè, cái dǎozhì hù chéng hé gānhé. yúshì, dàjiā qíxīn xiělì, shū tōng le hé dào, hù chéng hé lǐ de shuǐ yòu chóngxīn liútáng qǐlái. zhè chǎng nào jù yě ràng dàjiā míngbái, miàn duì wèntí, bùnéng qīngxìn yáoyán, ér yīnggāi shíshìqiúshì de xúnzhǎo zhēnxiàng, cáinéng bō kāi míwù, zhǎodào jiějué wèntí de bànfǎ.

In the Tang Dynasty, a strange thing happened in Chang'an City: the city moat in the west suddenly dried up. For a time, there were rumors and various opinions in the city. Some people said it was a divine warning, foreshadowing a great disaster; some said it was the river god's anger, punishing the people; others said it was the earth dragon turning over, causing the river to dry up. What's more, some people even said it was the work of demons and ghosts, intending to turn Chang'an City into hell. For a time, all kinds of rumors flew around, making it difficult to distinguish the truth from falsehood. Even the ministers in the court were debating this matter, unable to reach a consensus. In the end, after careful investigation, people found that the city moat had dried up because of siltation. Therefore, everyone worked together, dredging the river channel, and the water in the city moat flowed again. This farce also made everyone understand that when facing problems, one cannot easily believe rumors, but should seek truth from facts, so that they can dispel the fog and find solutions to the problems.

Usage

形容议论纷纷，说法不一。常与“莫衷一是”连用。

xiáoshǔ yìlùn fēnfēn, shuōfǎ bù yī. cháng yǔ ‘mò zhōng yīshì’ liányòng.

Describes a situation where many different opinions exist and discussions contradict each other. Often used in combination with the expression “Mozhongiyi” (fail to reach a consensus).

Examples

• 关于这次事故的原因，众说纷纭，莫衷一是。

  guānyú zhè cì shìgù de yuányīn, zhòng shuō fēn yún, mò zhōng yīshì

  There are various opinions on the cause of the accident.

• 对于改革方案，众说纷纭，各执一词。

  duìyú gǎigé fāng'àn, zhòng shuō fēn yún, gè zhí yīcí

  There are various opinions and different interpretations on the reform proposals.

Related Idioms

• 议论纷纷

• 言人人殊

• 各抒己见

Opposite Idioms

• 众口一词

• 异口同声