真假难辨 difficult to distinguish between true and false
Explanation
形容真假难以分辨。
describes something whose truth is difficult to determine.
Origin Story
话说唐朝时期，长安城里有一位著名的书法家，名叫张怀瑾。他技艺精湛，作品真迹价值连城。然而，由于他的名气太大，市面上出现了许多伪造的张怀瑾书法作品，以假乱真，让许多收藏家都难以辨别真伪。 有一天，一位富商慕名而来，想要购买张怀瑾的真迹。他来到张怀瑾的住所，却被眼前的景象惊呆了。张怀瑾的书房里堆满了各种各样的书法作品，有的是工工整整的正楷，有的是行云流水的行书，还有的是气势磅礴的草书。这些作品风格各异，但都栩栩如生，让人真假难辨。 富商仔细端详着每一幅作品，心中充满了疑惑。他问张怀瑾：“这些作品，哪些是您的真迹？”张怀瑾微微一笑，说道：“真假难辨，全凭你的眼力。” 富商听后，更加迷惑不解。他仔细观察了半天，依然无法确定哪些是真迹，哪些是伪作。最后，他无奈地离开了张怀瑾的住所，空手而归。 这个故事告诉我们，有些事情，真假难辨，需要我们仔细辨别，不能轻易相信。
In the Tang Dynasty, there was a famous calligrapher in Chang'an named Zhang Huaijin. His artistry was superb, and his genuine works were priceless. However, due to his great fame, many forged works of Zhang Huaijin's calligraphy appeared on the market, so lifelike that many collectors found it difficult to distinguish between the genuine and the fake. One day, a wealthy merchant came hoping to buy a genuine piece by Zhang Huaijin. He arrived at Zhang Huaijin's residence, only to be astonished by what he saw. Zhang Huaijin's study was filled with various calligraphy works—some neat and orderly regular script, some flowing cursive script, and others bold and powerful grass script. These works were diverse in style, yet each seemed lifelike, making it almost impossible to distinguish between genuine and forged pieces. The merchant examined each work carefully, his mind filled with doubt. He asked Zhang Huaijin, “Which of these works are your genuine pieces?” Zhang Huaijin smiled slightly and said, “It's hard to tell, it all depends on your judgment.” Confused, the merchant observed for a long time, still unable to determine which pieces were genuine and which were forgeries. Finally, he left Zhang Huaijin's residence empty-handed. This story tells us that sometimes, it's hard to tell the difference between truth and falsehood, requiring careful judgment and skepticism.
Usage
多用于形容真假难以分辨的局面。
It is often used to describe situations where it is difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood.
Examples
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这件案子扑朔迷离，真假难辨。
zhè jiàn ànzi pūshuòmǐlí, zhēn jiǎ nán biàn
This case is confusing, difficult to distinguish between true and false.
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他的话真真假假，让人真假难辨。
tā de huà zhēn zhēn jiǎ jiǎ, ràng rén zhēn jiǎ nán biàn
His words are a mixture of truth and lies, difficult to distinguish what is actually true