狐hú狸li鑽zuān不bù進jìn去qù——jiè——借jī雞(jì)（計shēng）生dàn蛋

What does 狐狸鑽不進去——借雞（計）生蛋 (hú li zuān bù jìn qù——jiè jī (jì) shēng dàn) mean?

狐狸鑽不進去——借雞（計）生蛋 (hú li zuān bù jìn qù——jiè jī (jì) shēng dàn) is a two-part riddle-saying (xiēhòuyǔ 歇後語). Word for word it reads "The fox cannot squeeze in-so it borrows a chicken (a plan) to lay eggs." In use it means: Using someone else's resources to achieve one's own goals. A pun on 雞 (chicken) and 計 (strategy). Describes leveraging borrowed means for personal gain. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Snake.

Literally: "The fox cannot squeeze in-so it borrows a chicken (a plan) to lay eggs.."

The reading

Resourcefulness is knowing what to do when the direct path is blocked. The fox does not waste time on an impossible entry; it finds another way entirely. There is intelligence in borrowing, but also a debt that accumulates silently. The line between clever strategy and exploitation depends entirely on whether the chicken agreed. Every borrowed resource carries an obligation, spoken or not.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typexiēhòuyǔ 歇後語
• FocusPresent-minded
• Element金 Metal
• Zodiac tie蛇 Year of the Snake

Source Traditional folk xiehouyu with homophonic pun

Sits beside

Keep reading

Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Wealth, Work & Diligence, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.