出头的椽子先烂 in English chu1 tou2 de5 chuan2 zi5 xian1 lan4 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) rafters that jut out rot first (idiomatic expression)
  • metaphorically anyone who makes himself conspicuous will be targeted for attack

Simplified Characters

出 头 的 椽 子 先 烂

Traditional Characters

出 頭 的 椽 子 先 爛

Pinyin

chu1 tou2 de5 chuan2 zi5 xian1 lan4

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

出chu1to go out 头tou2head 的de5of 椽chuan2beam 子zi5son 先xian1early 烂lan4soft