马前卒

馬前卒

mǎqiánzú

idiom #90,910

Meanings

1 a foot soldier running before the horse
2 a lackey; an errand boy
3 a pawn sent ahead to do someone's bidding

Characters

foot soldier; pawn

Examples

他只是老板的马前卒，说了不算。

Tā zhǐshì lǎobǎn de mǎqiánzú, shuōle bù suàn.

He's just the boss's errand boy — he doesn't decide anything.

别甘心一辈子做别人的马前卒。

Bié gānxīn yībèizi zuò biérén de mǎqiánzú.

Don't settle for being someone else's pawn your whole life.

那些所谓评论员不过是他的马前卒。

Nàxiē suǒwèi pínglùnyuán bùguò shì tā de mǎqiánzú.

Those so-called commentators are nothing but his mouthpieces.

Tips

history

Originally the foot-soldiers who ran shouting before an official's horse to clear the road. Han Yu contrasted their misery with the comfort of ministers in 《符读书城南》: '一为马前卒，鞭背生虫蛆；一为公与相，潭潭府中居.' The figurative 'pawn running errands for a bigger power' is the sense that stuck.

register

Mildly pejorative. Often self-deprecating ('我不过是个马前卒') or dismissive of someone else's status.

Stroke Order

马 mǎ

前 qián

卒 zú