害群之马
害群之马 (hài qún zhī mǎ) literally means “the horse that harms the herd” and expresses “individual whose behavior harms entire group”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving relationships and character.
Also searched as: hai qun zhi ma, hai qun zhi ma,害群之马 meaning, 害群之马 in english
Individual whose behavior harms entire group
Pronunciation: hài qún zhī mǎ Literal meaning: The horse that harms the herd
Origin & Usage
In the Zhuangzi the Yellow Emperor, lost and asking a boy herding horses how to govern the empire, is told it is no different from tending horses: 去其害马者而已矣, remove whatever is harming (害) the horses (马), and nothing more. The 群 of the modern idiom is a later addition that reads the herd into it. The answer's force is in its brevity — the boy declines the grandeur of the question. The individual whose conduct is damaging a whole group.
Examples
English: "The employee's repeated violations damaged team morale and productivity"
Chinese: 该员工的反复违规损害了团队士气和生产力
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about relationships & character
莫逆之交
mò nì zhī jiāo
Be bosom friends
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悬崖勒马
xuán yá lè mǎ
Stop before too late
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指鹿为马
zhǐ lù wéi mǎ
Deliberately distort truth as power display
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走马观花
zǒu mǎ guān huā
Observe hastily and superficially
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马马虎虎
mǎ mǎ hǔ hǔ
Just so-so or passable quality
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走马看花
zǒu mǎ kàn huā
Superficial observation without depth
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井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Narrow-minded from limited experience
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敬业乐群
jìng yè lè qún
Balance excellence with social harmony
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 害群之马 mean in English?
害群之马 (hài qún zhī mǎ) literally translates to “The horse that harms the herd” and is used to express “Individual whose behavior harms entire group”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Relationships & Character category.
When is 害群之马 used?
Situation: The employee's repeated violations damaged team morale and productivity
What is the pinyin for 害群之马?
The pinyin pronunciation for 害群之马 is “hài qún zhī mǎ”.