During the Warring States period, an old man in the Song state loved monkeys so much that he kept a large troop of them. Though not wealthy, he would scrimp on his own meals to buy grain and keep them well-fed.
In no time, the old man could understand the monkeys' thoughts, and the monkeys could grasp his words, making their relationship very harmonious. For this reason, people called him "Ju Gong" (the monkey keeper).
A keeper of monkeys was burdened by their insatiable greed. As food supplies dwindled, he decided to ration their meals but feared rebellion. After long thought, he devised a plan. He announced to the monkeys, "From now on, you will receive three chestnuts in the morning and four in the evening." The monkeys flew into a rage. Feigning reconsideration, he said, "What if I give you four in the morning and three in the evening instead?" The monkeys, delighted by the change, agreed at once. This story, from *Zhuangzi*, "The Equality of Things," illustrates how perception, not reality, often dictates satisfaction.
The next day, he said to the monkeys, "Starting tomorrow, I'll give you chestnuts. Three in the morning and four in the evening. Is that enough?"
The monkeys, displeased with the offer, rose up and began jumping and screeching in protest.
Seeing their opposition, the monkey keeper said, "Fine, then I'll give you four in the morning and three in the evening. Will that be enough?"
When the monkeys heard that their morning chestnuts had been increased by one, they were overjoyed and bowed to the ground in satisfaction.
In truth, the monkey keeper had not changed the total number of chestnuts given to the monkeys—he merely swapped the morning and evening portions from three in the morning and four in the evening to four in the morning and three in the evening—yet this simple trick completely fooled the monkeys.
Later, people called this tactic of the monkey keeper "Three in the Morning, Four in the Evening," using it as a metaphor for changing methods to deceive others. Today, it is commonly used to describe indecisiveness and fickleness.
Source: *Zhuangzi*, Chapter "Discussion on Making All Things Equal"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "朝三暮四" came to describe how perception, not reality, often dictates satisfaction.