鵲què巢cháo鳩jiū佔zhàn

What does 鵲巢鳩佔 (què cháo jiū zhàn) mean?

鵲巢鳩佔 (què cháo jiū zhàn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "The dove occupies the magpie's nest." In use it means: Taking over what someone else built. Enjoying the fruits of another's labour without having done the work yourself. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rooster.

Literally: "The dove occupies the magpie's nest.."

The reading

Building is slow. Taking is fast. The magpie gathers twigs one by one; the dove simply moves in. Every creator will meet someone who wants the result without the process. Knowing this in advance does not make it less bitter, but it does make you less naive. Protect what you build, or build the kind of thing that only you can inhabit.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typechéngyǔ 成語
• FocusLooks back
• Element木 Wood
• Zodiac tie雞 Year of the Rooster

Source 《诗经·召南·鹊巢》(Book of Songs, Shao Nan section)

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 Rooster, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.