náo
夒
an ancient name for a monkey or macaque; metaphorically, a cunning, fawning person
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 3 examplesnoun
a kind of monkey; macaque (archaic term)
archaicFound in classical texts like the 'Book of Songs' (《诗经》).
《
Shī诗
·
Xiǎo小
Yǎ雅
》
zhōng中
yǒu有
yán言
：
'
Wú毋
jiào教
náo猱
shēng升
mù木
。
'
The 'Minor Odes of the Kingdom' in the 'Book of Songs' says: 'Do not teach a monkey to climb a tree.'
Gǔ古
dài代
wén文
xiàn献
cháng常
yǐ以
“
náo猱
”
zhǐ指
dài代
yī一
zhǒng种
mǐn敏
jié捷
de的
yuán猿
hóu猴
。
Ancient texts often used 'náo' to refer to a kind of agile monkey.
noun
a metaphor for a cunning, fawning person who knows how to climb the social ladder
literaryA literary and metaphorical extension of the first meaning.
Guān官
chǎng场
zhōng中
zǒng总
yǒu有
nà那
me么
xiē些
náo猱
，
shàn善
yú于
ē阿
yú谀
fèng奉
chéng承
。
In official circles, there are always those cunning sycophants, skilled at flattery.