Asian Language School
23 February 2018
Popular Chinese Idioms About Dogs
The Chinese language contains many idioms that make use of animals. In your Chinese classes, you may not have learned these. In this article, you’re going to learn these idioms which is essential in facilitating your comprehension skills in the Chinese language. Knowing how to use these idioms will further make a conversation more lively. Below we list some popular Chinese idioms that contains the word “dog”. Often these idioms include two animals in one phrase.
Chinese Idiom #1
狗吠不惊
gǒu fèi bù jīng
Used to describe a society that is stable and peaceful.
Chinese Idiom #2
将门无犬子
jiàng mén wú quǎn zǐ
A phrase that means when the parents or ancestors possess talents, the descendants will not be mediocre.
Chinese Idiom #3
犬马之劳
quǎn mǎ zhī láo
A phrase that means willingness to serve and be directed by others.
Chinese Idiom #4
犬马之恋
quǎn mǎ zhī liàn
An analogy for an aide who is in love with a monarch.
Chinese Idiom #5
鸡犬桑麻
jī quǎn sāng má
Used to describe a quiet country life. For more idioms about rooster, click here.
Chinese Idiom #6
吞纸抱犬
tūn zhǐ bào quǎn
Used to describe a studious person from a poor background.
Chinese Idiom #7
狗嘴里吐不出象牙
gǒu zuǐ lǐ tǔ bù chū xiàng yá
The literal translation means “an elephant’s tusk will not come out of a dog’s mouth”. Used to indicate that a bad person will not say good things.
Chinese Idiom #8
狗眼看人
gǒu yǎn kàn rén
Used to describe someone who looks down on others.
Chinese Idiom #9
白云苍狗
bái yún cāng gǒu
A metaphor for things being unpredictable.
Chinese Idiom #10
打狗看主
dǎ gǒu kàn zhǔ
Literally, this phrase means one needs to know who the master of the dog before hitting it. It means when handling bad people or matters, one must take into consideration the overall parties involved.
Chinese Idiom #11
狗血喷头
gǒu xuè pēn tóu
A metaphor for scolding someone happily.
Chinese Idiom #12
狗头军师
gǒu tóu jūn shī
A metaphor for a person who likes to give bad ideas; also used to refer to someone who deliberately gives bad ideas.
