指鹿为马 to call a deer a horse
Explanation
比喻故意颠倒黑白，混淆是非。指鹿为马，出自《史记·秦始皇本纪》。秦二世胡亥时，赵高为了篡权，做了一个试验：他把一头鹿牵到胡亥面前，指着鹿说这是一匹马。胡亥不明真相，赵高又问左右大臣，慑于赵高的淫威，有些大臣不敢说实话，附和说是马，也有些大臣坚持说是鹿，后来都被赵高杀害了。
It is a metaphor for deliberately distorting the truth and confusing right and wrong. The idiom "zhi lu wei ma" comes from the "Records of the Grand Historian" (Shiji) by Sima Qian. During the reign of Qin Ershi Huhai, Zhao Gao, in order to usurp power, conducted a test. He brought a deer before Huhai and, pointing to it, said it was a horse. Huhai, unaware of the truth, then asked his officials and ministers. Fearing the power and cruelty of Zhao Gao, some ministers did not dare to tell the truth but echoed that it was a horse. Some other ministers insisted that it was a deer, but they were killed by Zhao Gao later.
Origin Story
秦朝末年，奸臣赵高为了篡权，想试探一下朝中大臣们是否都屈服于他的淫威。他便想出一个阴险的计策：他牵来一头鹿，然后把它带到秦二世胡亥面前，指着鹿说：“陛下，你看，这是一匹好马！”胡亥本来就昏庸无能，加上他惧怕赵高的权势，竟然笑了笑说：“丞相说的对，这是一匹好马！”接着，赵高又命令左右的大臣们议论此事。那些胆小怕事的大臣们，看到赵高那凶神恶煞的样子，都害怕极了。为了保住自己的性命，他们都违心地说是马。只有少数正直的大臣，坚持说那是一头鹿，结果他们都受到了赵高的残酷迫害，被杀害了。就这样，赵高利用这一事件，除去异己，为以后的篡权夺位打下了基础。
At the end of the Qin Dynasty, the treacherous official Zhao Gao, in order to usurp power, wanted to test whether the court officials were all subservient to his authority. He devised an insidious plan: he brought a deer, and led it before Qin Ershi Huhai. Pointing at the deer, he said: "Your Majesty, look, this is a fine horse!" Huhai, who was already incompetent and cowardly, and fearing Zhao Gao's power, even smiled and said: "The prime minister is right, this is a fine horse!" Zhao Gao then ordered his ministers to discuss this matter. The timid ministers, seeing Zhao Gao's ferocious countenance, were terrified. To save their lives, they all insincerely said it was a horse. Only a few upright ministers insisted that it was a deer, but they were cruelly persecuted and executed by Zhao Gao. In this way, Zhao Gao used this incident to eliminate his opposition and laid the foundation for his subsequent usurpation of power.
Usage
形容故意歪曲事实，混淆是非。常用于批评那些故意颠倒黑白，欺骗他人的人。
It describes deliberately distorting facts and confusing right and wrong. It is often used to criticize those who deliberately distort the truth and deceive others.
Examples
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他总是指鹿为马，颠倒黑白，让人难以相信。
ta zongshi zhiluwei ma, diandaobaihe, rang ren nanyi xiangxin
He always distorts facts and makes it hard to believe.
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会议上，他指鹿为马，歪曲事实，企图蒙混过关。
huiyishang, ta zhiluwei ma, waiku shi shi, qitu meng hun guo guan
At the meeting, he distorted the facts, attempting to deceive everyone。