鵲巢鳩佔

Chinese

		magpie	nest	turtle-dove; Turtur orientalis	to occupy; to constitute; to make up to occupy; to constitute; to make up; to account; to observe; to divine
trad. (鵲巢鳩佔/鵲巢鳩占)		鵲	巢	鳩	佔/占
simp. (鹊巢鸠占)		鹊	巢	鸠	占
anagram		鳩佔鵲巢／鸠占鹊巢
Literally: “the magpie's nest is occupied by the cuckoo”.

Etymology

From the Classic of Poetry, poem 12 (《詩經·召南·鵲巢》):

維鵲有巢，維鳩居之。
之子于歸，百兩御之。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

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维鹊有巢，维鸠居之。
之子于归，百两御之。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Wéi què yǒu cháo, wéi jiū jū zhī.
Zhī zǐ yú guī, bǎi liǎng yù zhī. [Pinyin]

The nest is the magpie's; The cuckoo possesses it.
This young lady is going to her future home; A hundred carriages are escorting her.

鳩 / 鸠 (jiū) here is short for 鳲鳩 / 鸤鸠 (shījiū) which was the ancient term for "cuckoo" instead of "dove" or "pigeon" in usual context, and this poem was referring to cuckoos' behaviour of brood parasitism.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): quècháojiūzhàn

  (Zhuyin): ㄑㄩㄝˋ ㄔㄠˊ ㄐㄧㄡ ㄓㄢˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): coek³ caau⁴ kau¹ zim³ / zoek³ caau⁴ kau¹ zim³ / coek³ caau⁴ gau¹ zim³

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: quècháojiūzhàn
    • Zhuyin: ㄑㄩㄝˋ ㄔㄠˊ ㄐㄧㄡ ㄓㄢˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: cyuècháojioujhàn
    • Wade–Giles: chʻüeh⁴-chʻao²-chiu¹-chan⁴
    • Yale: chywè-cháu-jyōu-jàn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chiuehchaurjioujann
    • Palladius: цюэчаоцзючжань (cjuečaoczjučžanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰy̯ɛ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑʊ̯³⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂän⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: coek³ caau⁴ kau¹ zim³ / zoek³ caau⁴ kau¹ zim³ / coek³ caau⁴ gau¹ zim³
    • Yale: cheuk chàauh kāu jim / jeuk chàauh kāu jim / cheuk chàauh gāu jim
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsoek⁸ tsaau⁴ kau¹ dzim³ / dzoek⁸ tsaau⁴ kau¹ dzim³ / tsoek⁸ tsaau⁴ gau¹ dzim³
    • Guangdong Romanization: cêg³ cao⁴ keo¹ jim³ / zêg³ cao⁴ keo¹ jim³ / cêg³ cao⁴ geo¹ jim³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰœːk̚³ t͡sʰaːu̯²¹ kʰɐu̯⁵⁵ t͡siːm³³/, /t͡sœːk̚³ t͡sʰaːu̯²¹ kʰɐu̯⁵⁵ t͡siːm³³/, /t͡sʰœːk̚³ t͡sʰaːu̯²¹ kɐu̯⁵⁵ t͡siːm³³/

Idiom

鵲巢鳩佔

1. to occupy or seize residences, land, positions, etc. belonging to others
2. (figurative) to take other people's efforts and reap the profits; to reap what one has not sown

Synonyms

• 鳩佔鵲巢／鸠占鹊巢 (jiūzhànquècháo)