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呼牛作马

hū niú zuò mǎdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to call sth a cow or a horse (idiom) / it doesn't matter what you call it / Insult me if you want, I don't care what you call me.
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-6d119725d18639a8. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

呼牛作馬 呼牛作马 [hu1 niu2 zuo4 ma3] /to call sth a cow or a horse (idiom); it doesn't matter what you call it/Insult me if you want, I don't care what you call me./

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 呼牛作馬

  • 呼
    hū

    to call / to cry / to shout / to breath out / to exhale / to call out

  • 牛
    niú

    ox / cow / bull / CL:條|条[tiáo],頭|头[tóu] / newton (abbr. for 牛頓|牛顿[niú dùn]) / (slang) awesome

    Niú

    surname Niu

  • 作
    zuō

    (bound form) worker / (bound form) workshop / (slang) troublesome / high-maintenance (person)

    zuò

    to do / to engage in / to write / to compose / to pretend / to feign / to regard as / to consider to be / to be / to act the part of / to feel (itchy, nauseous etc) / writings / works

  • 马
    mǎ

    horse / CL:匹[pǐ] / horse or cavalry piece in Chinese chess / knight in Western chess

    Mǎ

    surname Ma / abbr. for Malaysia 馬來西亞|马来西亚[Mǎ lái xī yà]

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.