枪打出头鸟

槍打出頭鳥
qiāng dǎ chūtóuniǎo
proverb

Meanings

  1. 1 the bird that sticks its head out gets shot
  2. 2 whoever stands out is the first to be punished

Examples

HSK 3
Kāihuì shí shǎo shuōhuà, qiāng dǎ chūtóuniǎo.
Keep quiet in meetings: the bird that sticks its head out gets shot.
HSK 5
Dàjiā dōu zhīdào wèntí zài nǎr, kěshì qiāng dǎ chūtóuniǎo, shéi yě bú yuàn dìyī ge zhàn chūlai.
Everyone knows where the problem is, but the bird that sticks its head out gets shot, so nobody wants to be the first to speak up.

Tips

culture
A warning against standing out, from the hunter's habit of shooting the first bird that raises its head. It reflects the traditional value of keeping a low profile (低调); English has "the tall poppy gets cut down". The one who stands out is the 出头鸟.

Stroke Order

枪 qiāng
打 dǎ
出 chū
头 tóu
鸟 niǎo