鹤立鸡群

Hè Lì Jī Qún

一只鹤站在鸡群里,特别突出。比喻一个人的才能或仪表,远远超过周围的人。

A crane standing among chickens — one person clearly outshines the crowd.

jìncháodeshíhòuyǒuniánqīngrénjiàoshàoshìzhùmíngxuézhěkāngdeérzishàozhǎngdeyòugāoyòutǐngbiǎochūzhòngzǒudàodōuràngrénrěnzhùduōkànyǎn

yǒudōuchéngshēnglezhànluànshàogēnzhehuángchūxúntiānrénqúnshífēnyōngchénbīngshìbǎixìngdōuhùnzàinàohǒnghǒngde

shàozhànzàirénqúnzhōngshēncáigāoshénqíngcóngróngyǎnjiùnéngkàndàowèipéngyǒuhuíhòugàojiā:“zàirénqúnzhōngkàndàoshàojiùxiàngzhīxiānzhànzàiqúnzhōngjiānyàngxiǎnyǎn!”

cháozhōngwèijiàowángróngdeguāntīnglediǎntóuchēngzàn:“shuōdeduìshàoquèshíxiàngzhīzhànzàiqúndāngzhōng。”cóngzhèhuàjiùchuánkāile

hòuláirénmenyòngqún”,chēngzànxiēcáinéngpǐnhuòyàngziyuǎnyuǎnchāoguòzhōuwéirénderén

In the Jin dynasty there was a young man named Ji Shao, the son of the famous scholar Ji Kang. Ji Shao was tall and upright, with a noble bearing — wherever he went, people could not help turning their heads to look.

Once there was unrest in the capital, and Ji Shao accompanied the emperor on a journey. That day the crowds were very thick, with officials, soldiers, and townsfolk all mixed together in a noisy bustle.

Standing among them, Ji Shao was tall and calm, and easy to spot at a glance. A friend returned and told everyone, “I saw Ji Shao in the crowd. He looked like a crane standing in a flock of chickens — that striking!”

A high court official named Wang Rong heard this and nodded, “Well said. Ji Shao truly is like a crane among chickens.” The phrase spread quickly after that.

Today “a crane among chickens” praises anyone whose talent, character, or bearing clearly stands out above the people around them.