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

Chinese Proverbs About Pigs

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