猫噬鹦鹉 — “Cat devours parrot”
猫噬鹦鹉 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to metaphorically describe a situation where someone meant to do good or bring benefit ends up causing harm, especially by replacing something valuable with something destructive; more specifically, it can symbolize the ousting or harming of good people by those who are meant to be helpful or are given a position of trust”. Literally, “Cat devours parrot”.
猫噬鹦鹉 Pronunciation and Pinyin
猫噬鹦鹉 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 猫噬鹦鹉
Origin and Story of 猫噬鹦鹉
Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a man who loved cats. He specially picked an auspicious day to buy a cat from his neighbor, intending to use it to catch mice.
However, not a single mouse was caught. Instead, the cat first tore open the birdcage and ate the owner's most beloved parrot.
Idioms Related to 猫噬鹦鹉
More idioms starting with 猫
Recommended tools
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →Questions about 猫噬鹦鹉
What does 猫噬鹦鹉 mean?
猫噬鹦鹉 (māo shì yīng wǔ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to metaphorically describe a situation where someone meant to do good or bring benefit ends up causing harm, especially by replacing something valuable with something destructive; more specifically, it can symbolize the ousting or harming of good people by those who are meant to be helpful or are given a position of trust”.
How do you pronounce 猫噬鹦鹉?
猫噬鹦鹉 is pronounced māo shì yīng wǔ in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 猫噬鹦鹉 literally mean?
Literally, 猫噬鹦鹉 means “Cat devours parrot”. It is used to mean “to metaphorically describe a situation where someone meant to do good or bring benefit ends up causing harm, especially by replacing something valuable with something destructive; more specifically, it can symbolize the ousting or harming of good people by those who are meant to be helpful or are given a position of trust”.
Where does 猫噬鹦鹉 come from?
猫噬鹦鹉 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 猫噬鹦鹉?
比喻排挤好人。