Three people form a tiger
Indicates a situation where a rumor, repeated by enough people, can make people believe that it's true
Neutral
这真是三人成虎啊，明明是不可能的事，如此一传竟成真的了 | Zhè zhēnshi sānrénchéng hǔ a, míngmíng shì bù kěnéng de shì, rúcǐ yī chuán jìng chéng zhēnde le
This really is an instance of a repeated rumor becoming fact. News about something that obviously could not happen has been spreading, and now it's become true
[Source]
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三人城市虎 (sān rén chéng shì hǔ)
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《战国策》(Zhàn Gúo Cè, Strategies of the Warring States), a work which chronicled the Warring States Period (475 - 220 BC)
The Warring States period (475 - 221 BC) was (unsurprisingly) a violent period in which many Chinese states continually warred with each other. However, sometimes enemy states would sign peace treaties, and fighting would pause. When this happened, the states would often send their princes to live in the state with which they'd just entered the peace agreement in order to ensure the agreement's terms would be upheld.
In one particular instance, the states of Wèi (魏) and Zhào (赵) had signed a peace treaty, and the Wèi prince was about to embark on his journey to the Zhào capital of 邯郸 (Hán Dān). The court minister 庞葱 (Páng Cōng) was due to accompany him, and so he went to have one last conversation with the Wèi king.
”Your Majesty," said 庞葱. "Imagine if one day, a person said that there was a tiger roaming the city streets. Would you believe him?"
"No," replied the king.
"What about if there were two people?"
"Well, then I would be a little doubtful."
"And three people?"
"Yes, I would believe it then," the king answered.
At this, 庞葱 replied, "Everyone knows that there couldn't possibly be a tiger on the streets, but the minute three people said there were, it became true. Sir, 邯郸 is much farther away from us than the city, and there will be far more than three people criticizing me. I hope you will be able to determine what is the truth."
"I know I will," assured the king.
And at that, 庞葱 and the prince departed for 邯郸. Criticism of the minister soon reached the Wèi king's ears, and unfortunately, when the prince and the minister returned to Wèi, the king refused to see 庞葱 any longer.