諺語 · a single proverb
貓哭老鼠——假慈悲
Simplified: 猫哭老鼠——假慈悲
What does 貓哭老鼠——假慈悲 (māo kū lǎo shǔ——jiǎ cí bēi) mean?
貓哭老鼠——假慈悲 (māo kū lǎo shǔ——jiǎ cí bēi) is a two-part riddle-saying (xiēhòuyǔ 歇後語). Word for word it reads "A cat crying over a mouse-false compassion." In use it means: Describes insincere sympathy, especially from someone who caused or benefits from the very suffering they pretend to mourn. 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 Rat.
Literally: "A cat crying over a mouse-false compassion.."
The reading
Tears from a predator are the cheapest currency in any room. The mouse gains nothing from the cat's performance, and the audience learns more about the cat than about grief. False sympathy is worse than open hostility because it steals the space where real comfort might have stood. Honest indifference is at least something a person can navigate around. The cruelest deception is the one that mimics care.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional folk xiehouyu, widely attested
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 貓哭老鼠——假慈悲 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 貓哭老鼠——假慈悲 (māo kū lǎo shǔ——jiǎ cí bēi) is a two-part riddle-saying (xiēhòuyǔ 歇後語), and it comes from Traditional folk xiehouyu, widely attested. 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 貓哭老鼠——假慈悲?
In Mandarin it is māo kū lǎo shǔ——jiǎ cí bēi. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 貓哭老鼠——假慈悲 aloud in Mandarin.