宋国（今商丘）有一个养猕猴的老人，他很喜欢猕猴，养了一大群猕猴，他能理解猕猴们的心意，猕猴们也能够了解那个人的心思。那位老人因此减少了他全家的口粮，来满足猕猴们的欲望。但是不久，家里缺乏食物了，他想要限制猕猴们吃橡粟的数量，但又怕猕猴们生气不听从自己，就先骗猕猴们：“我给你们的橡树果实，早上三颗，晚上四颗，这样够吗？”众多猕猴一听很生气，都跳了起来。过了一会儿，他又说：“我给你们的橡树果实,早上四颗，晚上三颗，这样足够吗？”猕猴们听后都很开心地趴下，都很高兴对那老人服服帖帖的了。

       There was once a man who kept ten monkeys as pets as he was very fond of them. Every morning the monkeys would climb up and down the trees or swing from one branch to another in his backyard. After that, he would feed them bananas.

      One morning the man said to the monkeys, "We have very few bananas left today. For breakfast I shall give each of you three bananas and four for lunch."

      When the monkeys heard this, they looked very unhappy. They refused to take the bananas that the man was handing out to them.

      "Very good, then. You shall have four bananas in the morning and three for lunch," the man said. The monkeys looked at one another. Then they jumped up and down happily, nodding their heads. They took the big, yellow bananas from the man and started eating.

       朝三暮四英文意译
      1. chop and change
      2. freakishfreaky
      3.play fast and loose
      4.to change something that is already settled upon

      中英文例句：
      1. She saw that he was a fickle boy, prepared to philander with every woman he met.
      她看出他是个朝三暮四的年轻人，会随时追逐他遇见的每个女人。

      2. Is Kelly a flirt, who goes from boy to boy?
      凯莉是个卖弄风骚、朝三暮四的人吗？

      3. I never knew such a man to chop and change.
      我从未见到过这样朝三暮四的人。

     4. Her quickly varied answers indicated uncertainty.
      她朝三暮四的回答表明了她的不确定性。

      5. While she always criticized the fickleness of human nature.
      她一方面总是批评人的本性朝三暮四。