三人成虎

Pronunciation: sān rén chéng hǔ Literal meaning: Three people make tiger real

Origin & Usage

This idiom originates from the Wei state minister Pang Cong's warning to his king about how three (三) people's (人) repeated lies can make even an absurd claim - like a tiger (虎) loose in the marketplace - seem true (成). The story, recorded in Warring States texts, demonstrates how repeated rumors can be accepted as fact. The psychological insight into how falsehoods gain credibility through repetition remains remarkably relevant today, particularly in discussions about social media misinformation and public opinion formation.

Examples

English: "The untrue rumor about a product defect spread on social media until customers started believing it without evidence"

Chinese: 关于产品缺陷的不实传言在社交媒体上传播，直到顾客开始在没有证据的情况下相信它