挂羊头卖狗肉 — “To practice fraud by advertising one thing and selling another”
挂羊头卖狗肉 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to practice fraud by advertising one thing and selling another”. To use a good name as a cover for dishonest practices; to put up a false front. Literally, “To hang a sheep's head and sell dog meat”.
挂羊头卖狗肉 Pronunciation and Pinyin
挂羊头卖狗肉 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 挂羊头卖狗肉
Origin and Story of 挂羊头卖狗肉
During the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Ling of Qi was displeased with his concubines wearing colorful dresses, so he commanded them to wear men's attire.
Later, he found it unappealing when women outside the palace also started dressing in men's clothing, and he ordered his officials to prohibit this practice among the common people. Despite his repeated efforts, the ban proved ineffective.
His minister, Yan Zi, explained to the Duke that allowing women inside the palace to wear men's clothing while trying to forbid it outside was akin to a shop hanging an ox head outside but selling horse meat inside – it would be impossible to gain the people's trust or enforce the prohibition effectively.
Idioms Related to 挂羊头卖狗肉
Synonyms of 挂羊头卖狗肉
Antonyms of 挂羊头卖狗肉
More idioms starting with 挂
- guà挂yī一lòu漏wàn万mention a few, omit many
- guà挂guān冠guī归qù去resign from office and return home
- guà挂guān冠guī归yǐn隐resign from office and retreat into seclusion
- guà挂guān冠qiú求qù去resign from office and retire
- guà挂guān冠ér而qù去resign from an official post
- guà挂guān冠ér而guī归Resign from office and return home
- guà挂yìn印xuán悬pái牌Assume an official post
- guà挂xí席wéi为mén门humble dwelling of a hermit
- guà挂dēng灯jié结cǎi彩Decorate festively with lanterns and streamers
- guà挂yáng羊tóu头，，mài卖gǒu狗ròu肉advertise one thing, sell another
- guà挂dù肚qiān牵xīn心deeply worried and anxious
- guà挂dù肚qiān牵cháng肠deeply worried and anxious
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Open the tool →Questions about 挂羊头卖狗肉
What does 挂羊头卖狗肉 mean?
挂羊头卖狗肉 (guà yáng tóu mài gǒu ròu) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to practice fraud by advertising one thing and selling another”.
How do you pronounce 挂羊头卖狗肉?
挂羊头卖狗肉 is pronounced guà yáng tóu mài gǒu ròu in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 挂羊头卖狗肉 literally mean?
Literally, 挂羊头卖狗肉 means “to hang a sheep's head and sell dog meat”. It is used to mean “to practice fraud by advertising one thing and selling another”.
Where does 挂羊头卖狗肉 come from?
挂羊头卖狗肉 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 挂羊头卖狗肉?
比喻以好的名义做幌子，实际上名不副实或做坏事。