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鸡鸣狗盗

战国时候，齐国的孟尝君喜欢招纳各种人做门客，号称宾客三千。他对宾客是来者不拒，有才能的让他们各尽其能，没有才能的也提供食宿。

有一次，孟尝君率领众宾客出使秦国。秦昭王将他留下，想让他当相国。孟尝君不敢得罪秦昭王，只好留下来。不久，大臣们劝秦王说：“留下孟尝君对 秦国是不利的，他出身王族，在齐国有封地，有家人，怎么会真心为秦国办事呢？”秦昭王觉得有理，便改变了主意，把孟尝君和他的手下人软禁起来，只等找个借 口杀掉。

泰昭王有个最受宠爱的妃子，只要妃子说一，昭王绝不说二。孟尝君派人去求她救助。妃子答应了，条件是拿齐国那一件天下无双的狐白裘（用白色狐腋 的皮毛做成的皮衣）做报酬。这可叫孟尝君作难了，因为刚到秦国，他便把这件狐白裘献给了秦昭王。就在这时候，有一个门说：“我能把狐白裘找来！”说完就走 了。

原来这个门客最善于钻狗洞偷东西。他先摸清情况，知道昭王特别喜爱那件狐裘，一时舍不得穿，放在宫中的精品贮藏室里。他便借着月光，逃过巡逻人 的眼睛，轻易地钻进贮藏室把狐裘偷出来。妃子见到狐白裘高兴极了，想方设法说服秦昭王放弃了杀孟尝君的念头，并准备过两天为他饯行，送他回齐国。

孟尝君可不敢再等过两天，立即率领手下人连夜偷偷骑马向东快奔。到了函谷关（在现在河南省灵宝县，当时是秦国的东大门）正是半夜。按秦国法规， 函谷关每天鸡叫才开门，半夜时候，鸡可怎么能叫呢？大家正犯愁时，只听见几声“喔，喔，喔”的雄鸡啼鸣，接着，城关外的雄鸡都打鸣了。原来，孟尝君的另一 个门客会学鸡叫，而鸡是只要听到第一声啼叫就立刻会跟着叫起来的。怎么还没睡蹭实鸡就叫了呢？守关的士兵虽然觉得奇怪，但也只得起来打开关门，放他们出 去。

天亮以后，秦昭王得知孟尝君一行已经逃走，立刻派出人马追赶。追到函谷关，人家已经出关多时了。

孟尝君靠着鸡鸣狗盗之士逃回了齐国。

故事出自《史记·孟尝君列传》。成语“鸡呜狗盗”比喻卑下的技能或具有这种技能的人。

To crow like a cock and steal like a dog

Today’s phrase literally means “ to crow like a cock and steal like a dog”. The Chinese reads: Jī Míng Gǒu Dào . It has to do with the skill of mimicry. But we often use it to describe those who only know small tricks. Let’s see how this idiom came to be.

During the Warring States Period, more than 2,500 years ago, influential persons usually kept all kinds of gifted people at their residences as guest advisors. One such person was Lord Mengchang 孟尝君, who lived in the State of Qí and was well known by all neighboring states.

The King of the State of Qín admired Lord Mengchang, and intended to make him his Prime Minister. So Lord Mengchang went to the capital of Qín with all his guest advisors. This startled the Prime Minister of Qín then in office. He aroused other officials to try to dissuade the king from making Lord Mengchang Prime Minister. They said the Lord couldn’t be appointed because he was a foreigner. They even suggested Lord Mengchang be killed, saying “he must be up to no good”.

The younger brother of the King was a friend of Lord Mengchang’s. He informed the Lord of the danger he was in. He told Lord Mengchang that only the King’s favorite concubine could help him. So Lord Mengchang went to that concubine, but the woman put forward a requirement – she wouldn’t give a hand unless she got the white fox fur coat that Lord Mengchang had already presented to the King of Qín.

That was almost impossible. Lord Mengchang was in great trouble. Knowing this, one of his guest advisors volunteered to get the precious coat back for his master—without being known. While imitating a barking dog in the dark night, he crawled along a dog path to the place where the coat was stored. The guards thought it was a dog and ignored him. The concubine got the coat, and then persuaded the King to let Lord Mengchang go back home.

Fearing that the king might change his mind, Lord Mengchang and his entourage left at once. When they arrived at Qin’s border pass, it was still dark. The gate wouldn’t be opened until daybreak. What was to be done? Fortunately, another guest advisor in the Lord’s party knew what to do. He imitated a cock crowing. Hearing this, the guards thought it was dawn, and opened the pass. Meanwhile, the king had indeed changed his mind, and sent troops after Lord Mengchang and his party. When the troops arrived at the border, the people they wanted were nowhere to be found.

That story gives rise to the idiom Jī Míng Gǒu Dào– to crow like a cock and steal like a dog. Nowadays it can be used to describe those who know nothing but small tricks. Jī Míng Gǒu Dào is spelt J-I, M-I-N-G, G-O-U, D-A-O. The tone pattern is first, second, third, fourth. Now try to say it with me: Jī Míng Gǒu Dào. Again: Jī Míng Gǒu Dào. Good. And that’s been another edition of our idioms and their stories. Hope you enjoyed it. Until next week, this is Wú Jiā saying good-bye to you.

(Source:english.cri.cn)