📖 Meaning
Describes a person with small round eyes like a mouse and a narrow pointed head like a roe deer, giving them an ugly and cunning appearance. It is used to characterize someone whose facial features suggest both unattractiveness and a sly, deceitful nature.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the 'Old Book of Tang' (旧唐书), in the biography of the Tang dynasty official Li Kui (李揆). Known for his refined and elegant appearance, Li Kui lamented the unfairness of official appointments, remarking that scholars with noble, dragon-and-phoenix-like bearing were passed over, while those with the repulsive features of a roe deer's head and a mouse's eyes managed to secure official posts. Over time, the phrase came to describe people of ugly countenance and crafty demeanor. A closely related and more common variant is '獐头鼠目' (zhāng tóu shǔ mù).
💡 Example Usage
你别看他鼠目獐头，其实心里精明得很。
Don't be fooled by his beady eyes and pinched face—he's actually extremely shrewd.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 鼠目獐头
- Pinyin: shǔ mù zhāng tóu
- Literal Translation: mouse, eyes, roe deer, head
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4