鵲巢鳩佔

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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.]
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. 11th – 7th 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.
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

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

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia