喪家之狗

See also: 丧家之狗

Chinese

		lose (by death); mourning; funeral	home; family; ‑ist home; family; ‑ist; ‑er; ‑ian; measure word for stores and schools	's; him/her/it; this	dog
trad. (喪家之狗)		喪	家	之	狗
simp. (丧家之狗)		丧	家	之	狗

Etymology

From the Records of the Grand Historian:

東門有人，其顙似堯，其項類皋陶，其肩類子產，然自要以下不及禹三寸，纍纍若喪家之狗。 [MSC, trad.]

---

东门有人，其颡似尧，其项类皋陶，其肩类子产，然自要以下不及禹三寸，累累若丧家之狗。 [MSC, simp.]

Dōngmén yǒu rén, qí sǎng sì Yáo, qí xiàng lèi Gāoyáo, qí jiān lèi Zǐchǎn, rán zì yāo yǐxià bùjí Yǔ sān cùn, léiléi ruò sāngjiā zhī gǒu. [Pinyin]

There is a man at the eastern gate with Yao's forehead, Gaoyao's neck and Zichan's shoulders, but below his waist he is shorter than Yu by three inches. He was dejected as the dog of a family in mourning.

喪家之狗 was later reanalysed as "a dog that has lost its home", which would often go hungry and wander the streets in search for food, due to neglect by its master. Later, this became a metaphor for a desperate person who has nobody to turn to.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sàngjiāzhīgǒu

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄤˋ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄓ ㄍㄡˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): song³ gaa¹ zi¹ gau²

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sàngjiāzhīgǒu
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄤˋ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄓ ㄍㄡˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sàngjiajhihgǒu
    • Wade–Giles: sang⁴-chia¹-chih¹-kou³
    • Yale: sàng-jyā-jr̄-gǒu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sanqjiajygoou
    • Palladius: санцзячжигоу (sanczjačžigou)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɑŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ koʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: song³ gaa¹ zi¹ gau²
    • Yale: song gā jī gáu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: song³ gaa¹ dzi¹ gau²
    • Guangdong Romanization: song³ ga¹ ji¹ geo²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɔːŋ³³ kaː⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ kɐu̯³⁵/

Idiom

喪家之狗

1. (literal) a stray dog
2. (figurative) a desperate person who has nobody to turn to

Synonyms

• 喪家之犬／丧家之犬 (sàngjiāzhīquǎn)、喪家狗／丧家狗