Asian Language School
1 January 2019
Chinese Proverbs About Pigs
2019 is the Year of the Pig (猪年 zhūnián), starting from February 5. Pig, the twelfth and the last animal in the Chinese horoscopes, is often characterized as honest, easy-going and lucky, although can be quick to anger and tend to be materialistic.
The Chinese language contains thousands of proverbs that are frequently used in daily conversation. Let’s learn some 成语 chéngyǔ that contain the character “pig”.
一龙一猪
yī lóng yī zhū
Meaning: two people who are very different in status
猪朋狗友
zhū péng gǒu yǒu
Meaning: bad, lazy friends
泥猪瓦狗
ní zhū wǎ gǒu
Meaning: useless
猪突豨勇
zhū tū xī yǒng
Meaning: someone who rushes ahead, not afraid of death
指猪骂狗
zhǐ zhū mà gǒu
Meaning: pretending to scold one person while in fact scolding another person
猪狗不如
zhū gǒu bù rú
Meaning: a person of a bad character
猪卑狗险
zhū bēi gǒu liǎn
Meaning: a despicable, dangerous person
泥猪癞狗
ní zhū lài gǒu
Meaning: a despicable or a rough person
冷水烫猪
lěng shuǐ tàng zhū
Meaning: a fruitless effort; unproductive
牧豕听经
mù shǐ tīng jīng
Meaning: to study hard
人怕出名猪怕壮
rén pà chū míng zhū pà zhuàng
Meaning: people are afraid that fame will attract trouble, just like fattened pigs end up being slaughtered
狗猪不食其余
gǒu zhū bù shí qí yú
Meaning: a mean character
牧猪奴戏
mù zhòu nú xì
Meaning: a nickname for gambling
老虎借猪，相公借书
lǎo hǔ jiè zhū，xiàng gōng jiè shū
Meaning: things are according to one’s wishes; each has their own hobbies
猪八戒吃人参果，全不知滋味
zhū bā jiè chī rén shēn guǒ, quán bù zhī zī wèi
(Zhu Bajie is a fictional character in the classical story Journey to the West)
Meaning: gorging on food yet not appreciating it; not gaining anything due to greed
