挂羊头卖狗肉

掛羊頭賣狗肉

guàyángtóumàigǒuròu

idiom #97,662

Meanings

1 to hang a sheep's head and sell dog meat
2 to advertise one thing and sell another
3 to misrepresent under a false banner

Characters

Examples

HSK 5

有些培训机构挂羊头卖狗肉，骗取学生学费。

Yǒuxiē péixùn jīgòu guàyángtóumàigǒuròu, piànqǔ xuéshēng xuéfèi.

Some training institutions misrepresent themselves to swindle tuition from students.

HSK 7-9

这家店挂羊头卖狗肉，名不副实。

Zhè jiā diàn guàyángtóumàigǒuròu, míngbùfùshí.

This shop advertises one thing and sells another - its name doesn't match the goods.

Tips

memory

Picture a butcher with a sheep's head displayed at the entrance, but the meat for sale inside is actually dog. Classic bait-and-switch image.

Stroke Order

挂 guà

羊 yáng

头 tóu

卖 mài

狗 gǒu

肉 ròu