📖 Meaning
Literally meaning 'not even chickens and dogs are startled,' this idiom describes strict military discipline where troops pass through without disturbing anyone. It also broadly means all is peaceful and quiet, with no disturbance or alarm.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from a poem by Peng Guinian of the Song Dynasty, in his collection 'Zhitang Ji,' where he praised the benevolence of an official named Zhang with the line 'the old man smiles with great joy, not even chickens and dogs are startled—such abundant kindness.' It later came to describe armies marching with such discipline that civilians and livestock remain undisturbed. The idiom also appears in Ming Dynasty works such as Xu Zhonglin's 'Investiture of the Gods,' where it depicts King Wen's well-ordered army.
💡 Example Usage
大军进城之后秋毫无犯，鸡犬不惊，百姓安居如故。
After the army entered the city, they took nothing and disturbed no one—even the chickens and dogs remained unalarmed—and the people lived on as before.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 鸡犬不惊
- Pinyin: jī quǎn bù jīng
- Literal Translation: chickens, dogs, not, startled
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4