How do you pronounce 杀鸡取卵?

杀鸡取卵 is pronounced as "shā jī qǔ luǎn" in Mandarin Chinese.

杀鸡取卵

Q: What does 杀鸡取卵 mean?

杀鸡取卵 (shā jī qǔ luǎn) literally means "Kill chicken take eggs" and metaphorically means "Sacrifice long-term benefits for short-term gains". It belongs to the Strategy & Action category of Chinese idioms.

Q: When is 杀鸡取卵 used?

杀鸡取卵 is used when The company maximized short-term profits by cutting essential research funding.

杀鸡取卵 (shā jī qǔ luǎn) literally means “kill chicken take eggs” and expresses “sacrifice long-term benefits for short-term gains”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving strategy and action.

Also searched as: sha ji qu luan, sha ji qu luan,杀鸡取卵 meaning, 杀鸡取卵 in english

Sacrifice long-term benefits for short-term gains

Pronunciation: shā jī qǔ luǎn Literal meaning: Kill chicken take eggs

Origin & Usage

Killing (杀) the hen (鸡) in order to take (取) the eggs (卵) — destroying what produces in order to have what it produced. Versions of the fable appear across many traditions, and the point is the arithmetic of impatience rather than anything about poultry. What it names is not greed alone but greed that defeats itself. Trading a lasting source of value for one immediate gain — and almost always said about somebody else's decision.

Examples

English: "The company maximized short-term profits by cutting essential research funding"

Chinese: 公司通过削减必要的研究资金来实现短期利润最大化

Related Chinese Idioms

Similar idioms about strategy & action

闻鸡起舞

wén jī qǐ wǔ

Practice with determination

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鹤立鸡群

hè lì jī qún

Stand out from crowd

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呆若木鸡

dāi ruò mù jī

Completely stunned or dumbfounded

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鸡飞蛋打

jī fēi dàn dǎ

To lose everything; complete failure

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以卵击石

yǐ luǎn jī shí

Doomed by mismatch

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借刀杀人

jiè dāo shā rén

Indirect manipulation

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杀一儆百

shā yī jǐng bǎi

Punish to deter others

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火中取栗

huǒ zhōng qǔ lì

Used by others

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does 杀鸡取卵 mean in English?

杀鸡取卵 (shā jī qǔ luǎn) literally translates to “Kill chicken take eggs” and is used to express “Sacrifice long-term benefits for short-term gains”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Strategy & Action category.