臧倉小人(장창소인)

장창과 같은 소인을 가리킨다
장창처럼 도량이 좁고 간사한 사람을 가리킨다.
군주나 임금과 같이 높은 지위에 있는 사람의 비위를 맞추려고 알랑거리거나 몰래 타인을 중상모략하고 이간질하는 사람을 가리킨다.
몰래 다른 사람을 비방하거나 헐뜯는 사람을 비유적으로 가리킨다.
노나라의 군주 평공이 맹자를 만나려고 할 때에 평공의 총애를 받는 장창이라는 신하가 맹자는 어머니의 장례를 아버지의 장례보다 더 성대하게 치른 사람이라고 비난하며 왕이 몸을 낮추어 예의를 저버린 맹자를 찾아가는 처신은 옳지 않다고 극구 만류하여 결국 평공이 맹자를 만나려 가지 않은 고사에서 유래한다.
正人君子(정인군자)는 마음이 올바르며 학식과 덕행이 높고 어진 사람을 가리키고, 반대되는 표현이다.
treacherous
crafty
fraudulent
 
《孟子 梁惠王下》 魯平公將出。嬖人臧倉者請曰： "他日君出，則必命有司所之。今乘輿已駕矣，有司未知所之。敢請。" 公曰： "將見孟子。" 曰： "何哉？ 君所為輕身以先於匹夫者，以為賢乎？ 禮義由賢者出。而孟子之後喪踰前喪。君無見焉！" 公曰： "諾。"
樂正子入見，曰： "君奚為不見孟軻也？" 曰： "或告寡人曰，『孟子之後喪踰前喪』，是以不往見也。" 曰： "何哉君所謂踰者？ 前以士，後以大夫；前以三鼎，而後以五鼎與？" 曰： "否。謂棺槨衣衾之美也。" 曰： "非所謂踰也，貧富不同也。"
樂正子見孟子，曰： "克告於君，君為來見也。嬖人有臧倉者沮君，君是以不果來也。" 曰： "行或使之，止或尼之。行止，非人所能也。吾之不遇魯侯，天也。臧氏之子焉能使予不遇哉？"
《맹자 양혜왕하》 노평공장출。폐인장창자청왈： "타일군출，칙필명유사소지。금승여이가의，유사미지소지。감청。" 공왈： "장견맹자。" 왈： "하재？ 군소위경신이선어필부자，이위현호？ 예의유현자출。이맹자지후상유전상。군무견언！" 공왈： "낙。"
악정자입견，왈： "군해위불견맹가야？" 왈： "혹고과인왈，『맹자지후상유전상』，시이불왕견야。" 왈： "하재군소위유자？ 전이사，후이대부；전이삼정，이후이오정여？" 왈： "부。위관곽의금지미야。" 왈： "비소위유야，빈부부동야。" 
악정자견맹자，왈： "극고어군，군위래견야。폐인유장창자저군，군시이불과래야。" 왈： "행혹사지，지혹니지。행지，비인소능야。오지불우노후，천야。장씨지자언능사여불우재？"
The duke Ping of Lu was about to leave his palace, when his favourite, one Zang Cang, made a request to him, saying, "On other days, when you have gone out, you have given instructions to the officers as to where you were going. But now, the horses have been put to the carriage, and the officers do not yet know where you are going. I venture to ask." The duke said, "I am going to see the scholar Meng." "How is this?" said the other. "That you demean yourself, prince, in paying the honour of the first visit to a common man, is, I suppose, because you think that he is a man of talents and virtue. By such men the rules of ceremonial proprieties and right are observed. But on the occasion of this Meng's second mourning, his observances exceeded those of the former. Do not go to see him, my prince." The duke said, "I will not."
The officer Yue Zheng entered the court, and had an audience. He said, "Prince, why have you not gone to see Meng Ke?" the duke said, "One told me that, on the occasion of the scholar Meng's second mourning, his observances exceeded those of the former. It is on that account that I have not gone to see him." "How is this!" answered Yue Zheng. "By what you call "exceeding," you mean, I suppose, that, on the first occasion, he used the rites appropriate to a scholar, and, on the second, those appropriate to a great officer; that he first used three tripods, and afterwards five tripods." The duke said, "No; I refer to the greater excellence of the coffin, the shell, the grave-clothes, and the shroud." Yo-chAng said, "That cannot be called "exceeding." That was the difference between being poor and being rich."
After this, Yue Zheng saw Mencius, and said to him, "I told the prince about you, and he was consequently coming to see you, when one of his favourites, named Zang Cang, stopped him, and therefore he did not come according to his purpose." Mencius said, "A man's advancement is effected, it may be, by others, and the stopping him is, it may be, from the efforts of others. But to advance a man or to stop his advance is really beyond the power of other men. My not finding in the prince of Lu a ruler who would confide in me, and put my counsels into practice, is from Heaven. How could that scion of the Zang family cause me not to find the ruler that would suit me?"
 
[成语故事]
有一次鲁平公将要外出，侍臣臧仓问道： "以往您外出，一定要先告诉有关的专职人员要去的地方，现在车马已经套好了，有关人员还不知道您要去哪里，请告诉我吧！" 平公说： "要去见孟子。" 臧仓说： "那又何必呢？ 您看轻自己而看重平常人。是认为他贤吗？ 礼仪应当从贤人做起，而孟子办他母亲的丧事超过了他以前办父亲的丧事，这就违反了礼仪，所以您不要去见他吧。" 平公说： "好吧。"
乐正子进宫见平公，问道: "您为什么不去见孟轲?" 平公说: "有人告诉我说孟子办母丧超过了他以前办父亲的丧事。这不合礼仪，所以不去见他了。" 乐正子说: "这指什么呢，您所说的母丧超过父丧?是指的前次办父丧是以士之礼，后来办母丧是以大夫之礼，前次用三只鼎，后来用五只鼎的讲究吗?" 平公说: "不是。我指的是棺椁衣衾的奢华。" 乐正子说: "这不是所说的超过，而是前后两次贫富不同的缘故啊!"
乐正子见到孟子，说： "我已把您的观点告诉了国君，国君是要来见您的，可那个臧仓小人却阻止国君，国君所以不来了。" 孟子说: "我的道要是能推行，就自然有人使他来见我；如果不能推行，就自然有人阻止他。我的道能行还是不能行，不是人力所能做到的。我见不着鲁 侯，是天意啊！ 那个姓臧的小人怎能让我见不到平公呢? "
[성어고사]
유일차로평공장요외출，시신장창문도： "이왕니외출，일정요선고소유관적전직인원요거적지방，현재차마이경투호료，유관인원환부지도니요거나리，청고소아파！" 평공설： "요거견맹자。" 장창설： "나우하필니？ 니간경자기이간중평상인。시인위타현마？ 예의응당종현인주기，이맹자판타모친적상사초과료타이전판부친적상사，저취위반료예의，소이니불요거견타파。" 평공설： "호파。"
악정자진궁견평공，문도: "니위십요불거견맹가? " 평공설: "유인고소아설맹자판모상초과료타이전판부친적상사。저불합예의，소이불거견타료。" 악정자설: "저지심요니，니소설적모상초과부상? 시지적전차판부상시이사지례，후래판모상시이대부지례，전차용삼지정，후래용오지정적강구마?" 평공설:  "불시。아지적시관곽의금적사화。" 악정자설: "저불시소설적초과，이시전후량차빈부부동적연고아!"
악정자견도맹자，설： "아이파니적관점고소료국군，국군시요래견니적，가나개장창소인각조지국군，국군소이불래료。" 맹자설: "아적도요시능추행，취자연유인사타래견아；여과불능추행，취자연유인조지타。아적도능행환시불능행，불시인역소능주도적。아견불착로후，시천의아！ 나개성장적소인즘능양아견부도평공니? "