Think Like a Free Rabbit With These Chinese Animal Kingdom Expressions

In both Western and Chinese cultures, we hold stereotypes about certain animals. For example, pigs are considered to be lazy, foxes sneaky, and donkeys stupid… But there are plenty of differences too, and it can be particularly illuminating to understand how a culture perceives its animals.

As such, we've gathered some Mandarin animal-related expressions that give us fun insight into how China views the animal kingdom.

Bears

熊市 xióngshì
Literal meaning: Bear market
Actual meaning: A market when stock prices are falling

熊孩子 xióng háizi
Literal meaning: Bear cubs
Actual meaning: Naughty children

Birds

菜鸟 cài niǎo
Literal meaning: Lame bird
Actual meaning: A rookie

关你鸟事 guān nǐ niǎo shì
Literal meaning: It’s your bird’s business
Actual meaning: It’s none of your business

乌鸦嘴 wūyā zuǐ
Literal meaning: Crow's mouth
Actual meaning: A person who jinxes something or someone

Cats

馋猫 chánmāo
Literal meaning: Greedy cat
Actual meaning: Someone who is greedy (especially for food)

夜猫子 yèmāozi
Literal meaning: Night cat
Actual meaning: Someone who stays up late (a night owl)

猫尿 māo niào  
Literal meaning: Cat urine
Actual meaning: Alcohol

Cows

吹牛 chuīniú
Literal meaning: Blow away a cow
Actual meaning: To brag

牛市 niúshì
Literal meaning: Bull market
Actual meaning: A market where stock prices are rising (as opposed to bear market, see below)

黄牛 huángniú
Literal meaning: Yellow cattle
Actual meaning: A scalper

Dogs

哈巴狗 hǎbāgǒu
Literal meaning: Pug dog
Actual meaning: Someone who is good at flattering others

落水狗 luòshuǐgǒu
Literal meaning: A dog falling into water
Actual meaning: A person (usually bad by nature) who has fallen in life circumstances and social standing

走狗 zǒugǒu
Literal meaning: Running dog
Actual meaning: Someone who is good at flattering others

Donkeys

笨驴 bèn lǘ
Literal meaning: A stupid donkey
Actual meaning: A stupid person, or 'ass'

倔驴 juè Lǘ
Literal meaning: A stubborn donkey
Actual meaning: A stubborn person

Fowl

铁公鸡 tiěgōngjī
Literal meaning: Iron rooster
Actual meaning: A stingy person

落汤鸡 luòtāngjī
Literal meaning: A chicken falling into soup
Actual meaning: A lighthearted way to describe someone who has gotten wet from a downpour

Horses

马马虎虎 mǎmǎ hǔhǔ
Literal meaning: Horse-horse tiger-tiger
Actual meaning: Just so-so, nothing special

拍马屁 pāimǎpì
Literal meaning: Slap the horse's rump
Actual meaning: To flatter someone

马尿 mǎ niào
Literal meaning: Horse urine
Actual meaning: Alcohol

Mice

胆小如鼠 dǎn xiǎo rú shǔ
Literal meaning: As timid as a mouse
Actual meaning: A timid person

Pigs

懒猪 lǎn zhū
Literal meaning: Lazy pig
Actual meaning: A lazy person

笨猪  bèn zhū
Literal meaning: Stupid pig
Actual meaning: A stupid person                

Rabbits

动如脱兔 dòng rú tuō tù
Literal meaning: A free rabbit
Actual meaning: Someone who is agile and fast

Wolves

色狼 sèláng
Literal meaning: Colored wolf
Actual meaning: A sexual pervert, or 'horndog'

狼吞虎咽 lángtūn hǔyàn
Literal meaning: Swallow like a wolf or tiger
Actual meaning: To gorge oneself, or 'wolf down' one's food

READ: Learn How to Speak Like Chinese Animals With These Beastly Onomatopoeia

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Email: kuang@thebeijinger.com

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