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杀鸡取卵

殺雞取卵
shājī-qǔluǎn
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 to kill the hen to get the eggs
  2. 2 to destroy the source of future gain for short-term profit
  3. 3 to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs

Examples

过度砍伐森林是杀鸡取卵的做法。
Guòdù kǎnfá sēnlín shì shājī-qǔluǎn de zuòfǎ.
Over-logging forests is killing the hen for her eggs.
为了短期利润而杀鸡取卵是不明智的。
Wèile duǎnqī lìrùn ér shājī-qǔluǎn shì bù míngzhì de.
Sacrificing long-term value for short-term profit is unwise.

Tips

history
From Aesop's Fables 《伊索寓言》. The Chinese idiom is the direct calque of 'the goose that laid the golden eggs'.
memory
杀 kill + 鸡 chicken + 取 take + 卵 eggs - picture killing a hen to grab the eggs inside, and then having no more eggs.

Stroke Order

杀 shā
鸡 jī
取 qǔ
卵 luǎn