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Chinese/Dictionary entry

占着茅坑不拉屎

zhàn zhe máo kēng bù lā shǐdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. to occupy a latrine but not shit (proverb) / fig. to be a dog in the manger
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-ac9c5ba558b9d063. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

占著茅坑不拉屎 占着茅坑不拉屎 [zhan4 zhe5 mao2 keng1 bu4 la1 shi3] /lit. to occupy a latrine but not shit (proverb)/fig. to be a dog in the manger/

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: 占著茅坑不拉屎

  • 占
    zhàn

    to take possession of / to occupy / to take up

    zhān

    to observe / to divine

  • 着
    zhāo

    a move in chess (Taiwan pr. [zhuó]) / trick / tactic / (dialect) okay / all right / (dialect) to put in / to add

    zháo

    to touch / to come in contact with / to feel / to be affected by / to catch fire / to burn / (coll.) to fall asleep / (after a verb) hitting the mark / succeeding in

    zhe

    aspect particle indicating action in progress or ongoing state

    zhuó

    to wear (clothes) / to contact / to use / to apply

  • 茅
    máo

    reeds / rushes

    Máo

    surname Mao

  • 坑
    kēng

    pit / hollow / depression / (mining) pit / shaft / tunnel / (literary) to bury alive / (coll.) to cheat / to scam / to screw over

  • 不
    bù

    no / not so / (bound form) not / un-

  • 拉
    lā

    to pull / to play (a bowed instrument) / to drag / to draw / to chat / (coll.) to empty one's bowels

    lá

    to make a cut in (sth) / to slit / to gash / to slash

    là

    used in 拉拉蛄[là là gǔ]

  • 屎
    shǐ

    feces / excrement / a stool / (bound form) secretion (of the ear, eye etc)

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.