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Stories/Chinese folklore/Hang a Sheep’s Head and Sell Dog Meat
HSK 4 Chinese reading practice

挂羊头卖狗肉

guà yáng tóu mài gǒu ròu

Hang a Sheep’s Head and Sell Dog Meat

Duke Ling bans people outside his palace from copying a fashion that he still encourages inside it.

RECOMMENDEDHSK 4
READ3 min
HANZI231
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文化
CULTURE

From 牛首马肉 to 羊头狗肉

The Yanzi Chunqiu records Yanzi’s comparison as 悬牛首于门而卖马肉于内, hanging an ox head at the door while selling horse meat inside. The later fixed idiom 挂羊头卖狗肉 uses sheep and dog meat but keeps the same mismatch between the public sign and the reality.

Key vocabulary12 words from this story
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Answer three questions without looking at the English translation.

01齐灵公喜欢宫里的女子怎样穿？
02晏子认为禁令为什么没有用？
03齐灵公听了晏子的话以后做了什么？
0 / 3questions answered
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Chinese idiom guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about 挂羊头卖狗肉

What does 挂羊头卖狗肉 mean in English?

挂羊头卖狗肉 (guà yáng tóu mài gǒu ròu) literally means “hang up a sheep’s head while selling dog meat.” It describes advertising or claiming one thing while actually providing something different, often worse.

When is 挂羊头卖狗肉 used?

Use 挂羊头卖狗肉 when a public label, promise, or appearance does not match what is really being offered or done. For example: The course advertised live lessons but only sent students old recordings—it was 挂羊头卖狗肉.

What is the pinyin for 挂羊头卖狗肉?

The pinyin pronunciation for 挂羊头卖狗肉 is “guà yáng tóu mài gǒu ròu.”