> 위록지마(謂鹿止馬) wii rok ji ma
> To point at a deer and call it a horse.
Very common South Indian proverb. Of course, our version goes -
To point at a donkey and call it a horse.
I guess because donkeys are way more common than deer in South India. I'm curious about the etymology. Did it really originate in China ? If so, how come its so commonly used in South India ? The Chinese monks Faxian[1] and Xuanzang[2] visited India during the 5th/7th AD...the proverb came along with them ?
The phrase comes from Sima Qian's "The Records of the Grand Historian" written in 94BCE. Zhao Gao was a eunuch and hid the first Emperor's death and schemed to have the rightful heir killed. Zhao installed a puppet and tested everyone's loyalty by declaring a stag a horse and dared anyone to question him.
Very common South Indian proverb. Of course, our version goes -
To point at a donkey and call it a horse.
I guess because donkeys are way more common than deer in South India. I'm curious about the etymology. Did it really originate in China ? If so, how come its so commonly used in South India ? The Chinese monks Faxian[1] and Xuanzang[2] visited India during the 5th/7th AD...the proverb came along with them ?
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faxian [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xuanzang