宁为鸡口，毋为牛后 — “Rather be a chicken's beak than a bull's anus”
宁为鸡口，毋为牛后 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “it is better to be the leader of a small group or enterprise than to be a subordinate in a larger one; rather be the head of a small entity than the tail of a large one”. Literally, “Rather be a chicken's beak than a bull's anus”.
宁为鸡口，毋为牛后 Pronunciation and Pinyin
宁为鸡口，毋为牛后 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 宁为鸡口，毋为牛后
Origin and Story of 宁为鸡口，毋为牛后
During the Warring States period, Su Qin traveled to the state of Han to persuade King Xuanhui of Han to resist Qin.
He argued, "The state of Han enjoys an excellent geographical position, possesses the most advanced crossbows, and its soldiers are incredibly brave, capable of fighting one against ten. It is a source of ridicule for such a strong state to kowtow and submit to Qin. As the saying goes: 'It is better to be the beak of a chicken than the anus of a bull.'"
King Xuanhui was convinced and agreed to resist Qin.
Idioms Related to 宁为鸡口，毋为牛后
Synonyms of 宁为鸡口，毋为牛后
More idioms starting with 宁
- níng宁yǔ与qiān千rén人hǎo好，，mò莫yǔ与yī一rén人dí敌Better to be friends with many than enemy with one
- níng宁wèi为tài太píng平quǎn犬，，mò莫zuò作lí离luàn乱rén人Better a dog in peace than a person in chaos
- níng宁wèi为tài太píng平gǒu狗，，mò莫zuò作lí离luàn乱rén人Better a dog in peace than a human in chaos
- nìng宁wéi为yù玉suì碎，，bù不wéi为wǎ瓦quán全Rather die with honor than live in disgrace
- níng宁wèi为jī鸡kǒu口，，bù不wèi为niú牛hòu后Better to lead small than serve large
- níng宁wèi为jī鸡kǒu口，，wù勿wèi为niú牛hòu后Better be a small leader than a big follower
- níng宁wèi为jī鸡shī尸，，bù不wèi为niú牛cóng从Better to lead small than follow large
- níng宁wèi为jī鸡shī尸，，wú无wéi为niú牛cóng从Better to lead a small group than serve a large one
- nìng宁kě可xìn信qí其yǒu有Better to believe it exists
- nìng宁kě可xìn信qí其yǒu有，，bù不kě可xìn信qí其wú无Better safe than sorry
- nìng宁kě可qīng清pín贫，，bù不zuò作zhuó浊fù富Prefer honest poverty to ill-gotten wealth
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Open the tool →Questions about 宁为鸡口，毋为牛后
What does 宁为鸡口，毋为牛后 mean?
宁为鸡口，毋为牛后 (níng wèi jī kǒu ， wú wèi niú hòu) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “it is better to be the leader of a small group or enterprise than to be a subordinate in a larger one; rather be the head of a small entity than the tail of a large one”.
How do you pronounce 宁为鸡口，毋为牛后?
宁为鸡口，毋为牛后 is pronounced níng wèi jī kǒu ， wú wèi niú hòu in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 宁为鸡口，毋为牛后 literally mean?
Literally, 宁为鸡口，毋为牛后 means “Rather be a chicken's beak than a bull's anus”. It is used to mean “it is better to be the leader of a small group or enterprise than to be a subordinate in a larger one; rather be the head of a small entity than the tail of a large one”.
Where does 宁为鸡口，毋为牛后 come from?
宁为鸡口，毋为牛后 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 宁为鸡口，毋为牛后?
比喻宁居小者之首，不为大者之后。同“宁为鸡口，无为牛后”。