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Animal Proverbs: Shoot the Bird That Pokes Its Head Out

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IN THIS LESSON
ID: 4323 Intermediate
Animal metaphors are prevalent in almost every language, but people from different cultures may regard the same animal differently. In Chinese proverbs, you will see a lot of animal metaphors to symbolize human actions. In this lesson, we're showing you three common proverbs related to mice. They can be directly translated to "The shot hits the bird that pokes its head out", "Dumb birds can go into the forest earlier if they fly first", and "A bird in hand is worth hundreds in the bush." Do you know what they actually mean? Check out these proverbs and learn how to apply them to daily life!
Mon May 25 2020 | Joy, Joshua
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SIMPLIFIED PINYIN ENGLISH  
枪打出头鸟 qiāngdǎchūtóuniǎo lit. The shot hits the bird that pokes its head out (idiom); fig. Ostentatious people tend to become easy targets.
出风头 chūfēngtou to push oneself forward; to seek fame
低调 dīdiào low key
笨鸟先飞早入林 bènniǎoxiānfēizǎorùlín lit. Dumb birds can go into the forest earlier if they fly first (idiom); fig. Diligence can make up for the deficiency.
枪打出头鸟
qiāngdǎchūtóuniǎo
Ostentatious people tend to become easy targets.
在中国文化里强调的是“要和大家都一样”，不要太特别。
zài Zhōngguó wénhuà lǐ qiángdiào de shì “yào hé dàjiā dōu yīyàng ”，bùyào tài tèbié 。
In Chinese culture, we believe everyone should be the same. Do not stand out too much.
枪打出头鸟，你别太出风头，低调一点比较好。
qiāngdǎchūtóuniǎo ，nǐ bié tài chūfēngtou ，dīdiào yìdiǎn bǐjiào hǎo 。
Ostentatious people tend to become easy targets. Stay low-key.
以前我读书的时候，大家都不喜欢举手问问题，因为他们觉得问问题的人是在出风头。
yǐqián wǒ dúshū de shíhou ，dàjiā dōu bù xǐhuan jǔshǒu wèn wèntí ，yīnwèi tāmen juéde wèn wèntí de rén shì zài chūfēngtou 。
When I was a student, people didn't like to raise their hands to ask questions during the class because they would think the person asking questions is showing off.
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