狗尾续貂 — “A dog's tail continuing a sable”
狗尾续貂 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to add something inferior or unworthy to something superior, thereby spoiling the overall quality; a poor sequel or continuation that degrades the original. It can also refer to the indiscriminate appointment of unqualified people to high positions, leading to a decline in standards”. Literally, “A dog's tail continuing a sable”.
狗尾续貂 Pronunciation and Pinyin
狗尾续貂 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 狗尾续貂
Origin and Story of 狗尾续貂
After Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan, passed away, his son Sima Zhong ascended the throne. Ignorant of state affairs, Sima Zhong allowed Empress Jia to wield immense power.
Empress Jia was naturally cruel and cunning. Taking this as an excuse, King Zhao, Sima Lun, led troops into the palace, killed Empress Jia, and appointed himself Prime Minister.
To win over court officials and expand his influence, Sima Lun excessively granted titles and promotions to civil and military officers. Once everything was in place, he deposed Emperor Hui of Jin and declared himself emperor.
At that time, it was customary for kings, nobles, and high-ranking officials to wear hats adorned with sable tails. Due to Sima Lun's prolific appointments, there was a severe shortage of sable tails, so dog tails had to be used as substitutes.
People then composed a folk rhyme based on this: "Sable is insufficient, dog's tail continues." This was used to satirize the court. Later, "狗尾续貂" (gǒu wěi xù diāo) became an idiom to describe a poor sequel or an inferior addition to something good.
In the Qing dynasty, Pu Songling's work "Da Wang Cigong Yu Yanshan Zhao Qi" contains this allusion: "Beneath the carriage cover, still adding brocade for daylight travel; following high-ranking officials, ashamed to patch a sable with a dog's tail."
Idioms Related to 狗尾续貂
Synonyms of 狗尾续貂
More idioms starting with 狗
- gǒu狗zhàng仗rén人shì势bully with another's power
- gǒu狗zhàng仗guān官shì势bully others by flaunting official connections
- gǒu狗tōu偷shǔ鼠qiè窃petty thievery or minor troublemaking
- gǒu狗bàng傍rén人shì势bully by relying on another's power
- gǒu狗dǎng党hú狐péng朋undesirable dissolute companions
- gǒu狗dǎng党hú狐qún群a pack of rogues
- gǒu狗kǒu口lǐ里tǔ吐bù不chū出xiàng象yá牙A wicked person says nothing good
- gǒu狗kǒu口lǐ里shēng生bù不chū出xiàng象yá牙Bad people cannot say good things
- gǒu狗chī吃shǐ屎fall awkwardly and heavily
- gǒu狗fèi吠bù不jīng惊dogs bark without causing alarm
- gǒu狗fèi吠zhī之jīng惊a minor fright or false alarm
- gǒu狗fèi吠zhī之jǐng警a slight disturbance or alarm
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Open the tool →Questions about 狗尾续貂
What does 狗尾续貂 mean?
狗尾续貂 (gǒu wěi xù diāo) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to add something inferior or unworthy to something superior, thereby spoiling the overall quality; a poor sequel or continuation that degrades the original. It can also refer to the indiscriminate appointment of unqualified people to high positions, leading to a decline in standards”.
How do you pronounce 狗尾续貂?
狗尾续貂 is pronounced gǒu wěi xù diāo in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 狗尾续貂 literally mean?
Literally, 狗尾续貂 means “a dog's tail continuing a sable”. It is used to mean “to add something inferior or unworthy to something superior, thereby spoiling the overall quality; a poor sequel or continuation that degrades the original. It can also refer to the indiscriminate appointment of unqualified people to high positions, leading to a decline in standards”.
Where does 狗尾续貂 come from?
狗尾续貂 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 狗尾续貂?
续：连接。晋代皇帝的侍从官员用作帽子的装饰。指封官太滥。亦比喻拿不好的东西补接在好的东西后面，前后两部分非常不相称。