諺語 · a single proverb
老鼠過街——人人喊打
Simplified: 老鼠过街——人人喊打
What does 老鼠過街——人人喊打 (lǎo shǔ guò jiē——rén rén hǎn dǎ) mean?
老鼠過街——人人喊打 (lǎo shǔ guò jiē——rén rén hǎn dǎ) is a two-part riddle-saying (xiēhòuyǔ 歇後語). Word for word it reads "A rat crossing the street-everyone shouts to beat it." In use it means: A universally despised person or thing that draws hostility from all sides. Describes someone whose bad reputation precedes them. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rat.
Literally: "A rat crossing the street-everyone shouts to beat it.."
The reading
Public scorn is a swift and merciless current once it starts flowing. The rat did not choose to be hated, but it also did not choose a less conspicuous path. Reputation, once lost, is almost impossible to rebuild in the same crowd. There is a warning here for anyone who acts without considering how many eyes are watching. And there is a quieter warning against joining a mob just because everyone else is shouting.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional folk xiehouyu, one of the most commonly cited
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 Harmony, Virtue & Balance, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 老鼠過街——人人喊打 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 老鼠過街——人人喊打 (lǎo shǔ guò jiē——rén rén hǎn dǎ) is a two-part riddle-saying (xiēhòuyǔ 歇後語), and it comes from Traditional folk xiehouyu, one of the most commonly cited. 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 老鼠過街——人人喊打?
In Mandarin it is lǎo shǔ guò jiē——rén rén hǎn dǎ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 老鼠過街——人人喊打 aloud in Mandarin.