it is better to be the bill of a chicken than the anus of an ox.

it is better to be the bill of a chicken than the anus of an ox.

As a Chinese idiom, Pinyin is j ī K ǒ uni ú h ò u, which means to be a small and clean chicken mouth rather than a big and smelly cow anus. It is better to be independent where the situation is small than to be dominated by others where the situation is big. It comes from Han CE.

Analysis of Idioms

Better be a chicken than a cow

Idiom usage

He has understood the truth behind the cock and bull.

The origin of Idioms

Liu Xiang of the Western Han Dynasty wrote Han CE, the Warring States policy: "when I heard the despicable words, I would rather be a chicken's mouth than an ox '

Idiom story

During the Warring States period, Su Qin came to South Korea to lobby Han xuanhui and Wang Kangqin. He said: "South Korea has a superior geographical location, has the most advanced crossbow machine, and the soldiers are very brave. They can face each other. Such a powerful country has to yield to Qin, which makes people laugh. As the saying goes, "it's better to be a chicken's mouth than a cow's anus." King xuanhui agreed to resist Qin Dynasty