野鸡

野雞
yějī
noun #22,049

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 pheasant (bird)
  2. 2 (figurative) unlicensed / bootleg / fly-by-night
  3. 3 unqualified or unofficial

Examples

Lièrén zài sēnlín lǐ dǎ dào le yī zhī yějī.
The hunter shot a pheasant in the forest.
Zhè shì jiā yějī dàxué, gēnběn méiyǒu zhèngguī zīzhì.
This is a fly-by-night university with no legitimate accreditation whatsoever.

Tips

usage
野鸡 (pheasant) is used colloquially to describe anything unlicensed or fake: 野鸡大学 (diploma mill), 野鸡出租车 (unlicensed taxi). The logic is that a wild bird roams free and unchecked — unlike a regulated 'domestic' version.

Stroke Order