CHINESE METAPHORICAL ZOOLOGY 29 



(— * Jr. £. $& ) in the similarity of their natures. When the 

 good wife is inclined to indulge in a little hen-pecking, or 

 when the hen crows at dawn — instead of the cock — ( 4b %. 

 o] H), the peace of the family is apt to be somewhat dis- 

 turbed, and the downtrodden husband may be driven to 

 extremities, like the dog in danger, which jumps over the wall 

 ( $J it $fc W ), and may possibly take refuge in companionship 

 with bad characters, forming one among a parcel of foxes and 

 a company of dogs ( % H $J H), with many teeth and claws 

 ( /R 3r t?§c £ ) — a decided case of going to the dogs ! His 

 better half will no doubt eventually think better of it, and, 

 for fear of pining away like the mandarin duck in the absence 

 of her beloved drake ( $£ ffc M H ), it is more than likely that 

 the plaintive and bird-like tones of her -voice — her oriole notes 

 and sw allow -like twitterings (!> n$ ^ IS ) — may result in a 

 reconciliation, and the male and female phoenix will sing in 

 harmony (38 E ffl 1l), and the wedded pair will agree like 

 the fish with the water ( J& 'K $j It ) , and — perhaps — live 

 happily ever afterwards. 



The government officials have frequently been a butt for 

 Chinese sarcasm. Thus a cruel and oppressive official will 

 be called a fierce beast of the hills (Hi $ U Wt ), or a person 

 with a human face but a bestial nature ( A ® ft >b ), preying 

 on his district as on fish and flesh ( fa ^ *fi 2f ). An avari- 

 cious official is often called a wolf stopping the road ( & SI 

 ^ M ). a man with a wolf's head and dog's lungs ( & »fr it Jffi) 

 or accused of gulping like a wolf and sivallowing like a tiger 

 (3g#JSfcnB). When very much occupied with official 

 business, it is said that affairs are as numerous as the prickles 

 of a hedgehog ( 9 in *l $)• In speaking of an honest and 

 illustrious official, he is said to have the gall of a dragon and 

 the marrow of a phoenix ( H M HL ft), i-e. rare ability, or to 

 have spread his wings like the great Roc ( * II g H) 3 and 

 risen to a high and honourable position. When a virtuous 

 official is unjustly discharged, the ingratitude of the govern- 

 ment will be denounced in the words the fish is caught but 

 the fish-trap is forgotten (»&&£), when the bird is killed 

 the bow is discarded ( M> SB 9 ft ), or when the hare is caught 

 the doq goes into the cooking-pot ( 16, K W &). 



The literati or student classes, have always been highly 

 respected in China, and many fables are extant which illus- 

 trate the ultimate rise of the plodding scholar to a high official 

 position \ determined student is said to possess the merit 

 If the f 're-flies and the snow ( * « 2. # )-a reference to the 

 ~~^The P'enn. or Rukh, is a fabulous bird of enormous size, capable 

 of flying 10,000 li at a stretch. 



