CHENGYU
呆若木鸡(dāi ruò mù jī)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral, vivid
- Source:
- 《庄子·达生》
MEANING
- Literal
- still as a wooden rooster
- Figurative meaning
- dumbstruck; frozen in shock
ORIGIN STORY
In the Zhuangzi, a fighting cock trained so long it stood like a wooden bird — and won every bout because nothing disturbed it. The phrase began as praise of perfect calm, but today it usually means shock that leaves one speechless.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to be struck dumb”
EXAMPLES
听到这个坏消息，他呆若木鸡。Tīng dào zhège huài xiāoxi, tā dāi ruò mù jī.HSK6
Hearing the bad news, he stood frozen like a wooden rooster.
大家被突然的问题问得呆若木鸡。Dàjiā bèi tūrán de wèntí wèn de dāi ruò mù jī.HSK6
The sudden question left everyone standing like wooden roosters.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: The Zhuangzi original was positive (perfect composure); modern usage is shock — mind the context.
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01