







宁为鸡口,勿为牛后 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “it is better to be the head of a small organization or group than a subordinate or follower in a larger, more prominent one; rather be a leader in a humble position than a follower in an influential one”. Literally, “Rather be a chicken's beak than a cow's anus”.

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Open the tool →宁为鸡口,勿为牛后 (níng wèi jī kǒu , wù wèi niú hòu) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “it is better to be the head of a small organization or group than a subordinate or follower in a larger, more prominent one; rather be a leader in a humble position than a follower in an influential one”.
宁为鸡口,勿为牛后 is pronounced níng wèi jī kǒu , wù wèi niú hòu in Mandarin Chinese.
Literally, 宁为鸡口,勿为牛后 means “Rather be a chicken's beak than a cow's anus”. It is used to mean “it is better to be the head of a small organization or group than a subordinate or follower in a larger, more prominent one; rather be a leader in a humble position than a follower in an influential one”.
宁:宁愿;牛后:牛的肛门。宁愿做小而洁的鸡嘴,而不愿做大而臭的牛肛门。比喻宁居小者之首,不为大者之后