中國古代經典故事：懸牛賣馬

一天，齊靈公心血來潮，喜歡看女扮男裝，並且讓內宮的女人都這樣做。不久，全國的女人趕時髦，都女扮男裝。

可是，靈公一看全國都這樣，就生氣了，又命令各地官吏：“只要發現女扮男裝的人，就撕破她們的衣服，扯斷她們的腰帶。”

可是，這股男扮女裝的風氣，仍然沒有能夠剎住。

一天，宰相晏子朝見靈公，靈公問晏子：“我讓各地官吏禁止女人穿男人的服裝，只要看到，就一律撕破衣服，扯斷腰帶，可就是禁止不了。這究竟是什麼原因?”

晏子回答說： “大王，您讓內宮女扮男裝，卻不讓百姓這樣做;這就好比門外掛的是牛頭，而門裏面賣的是馬肉，這怎麼行呢?如果宮內禁止女扮男裝，那麼宮外的人怎麼再敢這樣做呢?”

靈公連連點頭，說：“你說得對!你說得對!”

靈公命令官吏按照晏子的話去辦。果然，不到一個月，全國各地女扮男裝的風氣就剎住了。

One day, Ling Gong, King of the State of Qi, had a sudden whim. He liked to see women wearing men's clothes and let all the women in his harem do so. Soon afterwards, all the women in the whole country followed the fashion and dressed like men.

Seeing the whole country follow this example. Ling Gong became angry, and gave orders to the officials in all parts of the country: "Whenever you see women dressed like men, you are to tear up their clothes and rip their waistbands."

But this trend among women to dress like men couldn't be discouraged.

One day, when the prime minister Yan Zi came to court for an audience with him, Ling Gong asked him: "I ordered all the officials to forbid women to wear men's clothes. Wherever they see them doing so, they are to tear up their clothes and rip their waistbands without exception. But this trend couldn't be stopped. What exactly is the reason?"

Yan Zi answered: "Your Majesty, you allow the women in your harem to dress like men, but you forbid the common people to do so. This is like hanging up the head of an ox outside the door, but selling horsemeat inside. How can that be done? If women in your harm are forbidden to wear men's clothes, then how would the people outside the palace dare to do so any longer?"

Ling Gong nodded his head again and again, and said: "What you have said is right! What you have said is right!"

Ling Gong ordered his officials to do according to what Yan Zi had said. Sure enough, in less than one month, the trend of dressing like men among women in the whole country was stopped.