DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

問客殺雞

简问客杀鸡 · 繁問客殺雞

Mandarin · pinyin wèn kè shā jī

lit. asking guests whether or not to butcher a chicken for them (idiom)
fig. hypocritical show of affection (or hospitality)

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

問: wèn · ask (about), inquire after
客: kè · guest, traveller; customer
殺: Look up this written character
雞: jī · chickens; domestic fowl
问: wèn · ask about, inquire after
杀: shā · kill, slaughter, murder; hurt
鸡: jī · chicken

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–4–1–1 · wen4 ke4 sha1 ji1

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

6character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

問客殺雞 · find source passages ↗ · 问客杀鸡 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Rime

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

man6 haak3 saat3 gai1

Cantonese word readings for 問客殺雞. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack