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家鸡野鹜
家鸡野鹜
家鸡野鹜
家鸡野鹜
家鸡野鹜
家鸡野鹜
家鸡野鹜

家鸡野鹜 — “To prefer novel or exotic things over familiar or common ones”

家鸡野鹜 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to prefer novel or exotic things over familiar or common ones”. Also, used to describe contrasting styles, particularly in art or calligraphy, where 'domestic fowl' represents one's own familiar style and 'wild duck' represents an admired, often more unconventional, style. Literally, “Domestic chicken, wild duck”.

Frequency

家鸡野鹜 Pronunciation and Pinyin

家鸡野鹜 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
家
jiā10family home or expert
鸡
jī7chicken
野
yě11wild, open country
鹜
wù14eagerly flock like ducks

Example Sentence with 家鸡野鹜

他总是喜欢追逐时尚,对于经典款反而不屑一顾,真是家鸡野鹜的心态。
He always prefers to chase after fashion trends, disdaining classic styles; it's truly a "domestic chicken and wild duck" mentality.

Origin and Story of 家鸡野鹜

During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Yu Yi, a military general, was also a skilled calligrapher, much like Wang Xizhi. He was displeased when he saw that his son and nephew were learning Wang Xizhi's calligraphy instead of his own.

He remarked that his son and nephew preferred 'wild ducks' (referring to Wang Xizhi's style) over 'domestic chickens' (his own style), implying a challenge or comparison with Wang Xizhi.

However, after he personally saw one of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy masterpieces, he was thoroughly convinced and impressed.

Idioms Related to 家鸡野鹜

Synonyms of 家鸡野鹜

  • jiā家jī鸡yě野zhì雉vastly different styles, common versus refined

More idioms starting with 家

  • jiā家chǒu丑bù不kě可wài外yáng扬Do not air your family's dirty linen in public
  • jiā家chǒu丑bù不kě可wài外tán谈Keep family secrets private
  • jiā家chǒu丑bù不wài外yáng扬Don't air dirty laundry in public
  • jiā家yè业diāo雕líng零family fortune withering away
  • jiā家shū书dǐ抵wàn万jīn金A letter from home is priceless
  • jiā家wáng亡guó国pò破family ruined, nation destroyed
  • jiā家rén人fù父zǐ子family members, father and son
  • jiā家chuán传rén人sòng诵widely known and recited
  • jiā家chuán传hù户sòng诵widely known and recited by all
  • jiā家chuán传hù户sòng颂universally acclaimed
  • jiā家shì势zhōng中luò落family fortunes decline
  • jiā家fǎn反zhái宅luàn乱noisy, chaotic, and disordered household

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Questions about 家鸡野鹜

What does 家鸡野鹜 mean?

家鸡野鹜 (jiā jī yě wù) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to prefer novel or exotic things over familiar or common ones”.

How do you pronounce 家鸡野鹜?

家鸡野鹜 is pronounced jiā jī yě wù in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 家鸡野鹜 literally mean?

Literally, 家鸡野鹜 means “Domestic chicken, wild duck”. It is used to mean “to prefer novel or exotic things over familiar or common ones”.

Where does 家鸡野鹜 come from?

家鸡野鹜 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 家鸡野鹜?

晋人庾翼以家鸡喻自己的书法,以野雉喻王羲之的书法。比喻不同的书法风格。也比喻人喜爱新奇,而厌弃平常的事物。

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