鸡犬不留 — “To completely wipe out, leaving no living thing behind”
鸡犬不留 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to completely wipe out, leaving no living thing behind”. Signifying utter devastation or extermination, to the extent that not even chickens and dogs are spared. Literally, “No chickens or dogs left”.
鸡犬不留 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 鸡jī
- 犬quǎn
- 不bù
- 留liú
鸡犬不留 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 鸡犬不留
Origin and Story of 鸡犬不留
During the Spring and Autumn Period, after Confucius was marginalized in his home state of Lu, he led his disciples on a journey through various states. They encountered numerous setbacks and hardships in places like Wei, Song, and Zheng.
His disciples advised him against going to Jin, but Confucius, determined, insisted on continuing. In the city of Zhongmu, he witnessed a horrifying scene of massacre carried out by Yang Hu, where no living thing, not even chickens or dogs, was spared.
This brutal sight finally persuaded Confucius to abandon his intention of going to Jin and instead focus on heading to Chen to promote his philosophy of 'benevolent governance'.
Idioms Related to 鸡犬不留
Synonyms of 鸡犬不留
Antonyms of 鸡犬不留
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kǒu口niú牛hòu后Better to be a small leader than a big follower
- 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
Questions about 鸡犬不留
- What does 鸡犬不留 mean?
- 鸡犬不留 (jī quǎn bù liú) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to completely wipe out, leaving no living thing behind”.
- How do you pronounce 鸡犬不留?
- 鸡犬不留 is pronounced jī quǎn bù liú in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 鸡犬不留 literally mean?
- Literally, 鸡犬不留 means “no chickens or dogs left”. It is used to mean “to completely wipe out, leaving no living thing behind”.
- Where does 鸡犬不留 come from?
- 鸡犬不留 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to the modern era. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 鸡犬不留?
- 形容屠杀残酷，连鸡狗都不能幸免。