鸡口牛后 — “Chicken's mouth, ox's anus”
鸡口牛后 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Better to be the head of a small organization than the tail of a large one; preferring independence in a smaller setting over subordination in a larger one”. Literally, “Chicken's mouth, ox's anus”.
鸡口牛后 Pronunciation and Pinyin
鸡口牛后 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 鸡口牛后
Origin and Story of 鸡口牛后
During the Warring States period, Su Qin visited King Xuanhui of Han to persuade him to resist Qin.
He argued, 'The state of Han has an excellent geographical location, possesses the most advanced crossbows, and its soldiers are very brave, each capable of fighting ten. It is shameful for such a powerful state to submit to Qin. As the saying goes, "It's better to be a chicken's mouth than an ox's anus." (Meaning, rather be a leader in a small place than a subordinate in a big one).'
King Xuanhui was persuaded and agreed to resist Qin.
Idioms Related to 鸡口牛后
More idioms starting with 鸡
- jī鸡bù不jí及fèng凤The son is inferior to the father
- jī鸡zhēng争é鹅dòu斗to bicker constantly
- jī鸡fú伏gǔ鹄luǎn卵assign a major task to a person of limited ability
- jī鸡shēng声é鹅dòu斗noisy quarrels and arguments
- jī鸡tóu头yú鱼cì刺trivial annoyance or inconvenience
- jī鸡shī尸niú牛cóng从Better to be a small leader than a large follower
- jī鸡qī栖fèng凤cháo巢unworthy person in high position
- jī鸡máo毛suàn蒜pí皮trivial matters
- jī鸡làn烂zuǐ嘴ba巴yìng硬argue stubbornly despite being wrong
- jī鸡quǎn犬bù不níng宁cause great disturbance and chaos
- jī鸡quǎn犬bù不ān安cause great disturbance and unrest
- jī鸡quǎn犬bù不jīng惊peaceful and undisturbed
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Open the tool →Questions about 鸡口牛后
What does 鸡口牛后 mean?
鸡口牛后 (jī kǒu niú hòu) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Better to be the head of a small organization than the tail of a large one; preferring independence in a smaller setting over subordination in a larger one”.
How do you pronounce 鸡口牛后?
鸡口牛后 is pronounced jī kǒu niú hòu in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 鸡口牛后 literally mean?
Literally, 鸡口牛后 means “Chicken's mouth, ox's anus”. It is used to mean “Better to be the head of a small organization than the tail of a large one; preferring independence in a smaller setting over subordination in a larger one”.
Where does 鸡口牛后 come from?
鸡口牛后 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 鸡口牛后?
宁愿做小而洁的鸡嘴，而不愿做大而臭的牛肛门。比喻宁在局面小的地方自主，不愿在局面大的地方听人支配。