諺語 · a single proverb
雞鳴狗盜
Simplified: 鸡鸣狗盗
What does 雞鳴狗盜 (jī míng gǒu dào) mean?
雞鳴狗盜 (jī míng gǒu dào) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "Crowing like a cock, stealing like a dog." In use it means: Petty, undignified skills that are looked down upon but can be unexpectedly useful in a crisis. Do not dismiss humble talents. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dog.
Literally: "Crowing like a cock, stealing like a dog.."
The reading
Respectability is a luxury. When Lord Mengchang was trapped, it was not his scholars who saved him but a man who could mimic a rooster and another who could crawl like a thief. The world sorts skills into noble and base, but danger does not care about categories. The skill that saves your life is the most important skill you have, no matter what anyone calls it.
What kind of proverb it is
Source 《史记·孟尝君列传》(Records of the Grand Historian, biography of Lord Mengchang)
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
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 Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 雞鳴狗盜 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 雞鳴狗盜 (jī míng gǒu dào) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from 《史记·孟尝君列传》(Records of the Grand Historian, biography of Lord Mengchang). It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 雞鳴狗盜?
In Mandarin it is jī míng gǒu dào. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 雞鳴狗盜 aloud in Mandarin.