kê minh cẩu đạo

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Cock-crow imitators and dog-thieves — the lowly hangers-on whose small tricks save great lords, as in Mengchang's tale.

Literally: rooster-crowing, dog-thieving
Sources & notes

Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.

Common questions

What does “kê minh cẩu đạo” mean?

Cock-crow imitators and dog-thieves — the lowly hangers-on whose small tricks save great lords, as in Mengchang's tale. Literally: rooster-crowing, dog-thieving

Is “kê minh cẩu đạo” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.