Nìng wéi jī kǒu/tóu; wú wéi niú hòu/wěi.

寧為雞口/頭, 毋為牛後/尾。

Lit Better be the head of a chicken than the tail of an ox.

Fig It is better to be the head of a small group than to hold a less powerful position in a large one; “better to be a big frog in a little pond, than a small frog in a big one”; “better to be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion.”

Note [The original rhymed version is from Zhàn Guò Cè; the second pair of alternatives is the modern colloquial version.]

Topics COMPARISON HIERARCHY LEADERSHIP ORGANIZATIONS rhyme