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During the Warring States period, Tian Dan, a minister of Qi, did not hold a grudge against Diao Bo, who had insulted him. Instead, he invited Diao Bo to a banquet and humbly asked where he had erred.
Diao Bo replied, saying that "Zhi's dog barks at Yao" does not mean Yao was not a sage, but rather that each serves their own master. Tian Dan then recommended Diao Bo to the King of Qi.
The king dispatched Diao Bo on a diplomatic mission to the state of Chu. This aroused the displeasure of nine of the king's favored officials, who then attacked Tian Dan.
Diao Bo, with a passionate speech, came to Tian Dan's defense, saving the prime minister.

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Open the tool →跖犬吠尧 (zhí quǎn fèi yáo) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a dog barks at a sage simply because it is loyal to its master, illustrating that people serve their own lords or sides; loyalty to one's own side even if the opposing party is virtuous”.
跖犬吠尧 is pronounced zhí quǎn fèi yáo in Mandarin Chinese.
Literally, 跖犬吠尧 means “Zhi's dog barks at Yao”. It is used to mean “a dog barks at a sage simply because it is loyal to its master, illustrating that people serve their own lords or sides; loyalty to one's own side even if the opposing party is virtuous”.
跖犬吠尧 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
桀的犬向尧狂吠。比喻各为其主。