Chinese idiom · 成语
挂羊头卖狗肉
Meaning
To hang a sheep’s head but sell dog meat; to deceive with false advertising.
Character by character
Origin and story
Literary expressionWu Deng Hui Yuan (五燈會元), volume 16, uses the related wording 悬羊头卖狗肉 in a criticism of people who seek fame and profit while posing as religious teachers. The advertised sign and the actual goods do not match, so a marketplace image becomes a charge of false teaching and deceptive appearance.
Yanzi Chunqiu preserves a related comparison involving an ox’s head and horse meat. These textual uses do not establish a particular fraudulent stall as the origin of the familiar saying. Today it applies to any offering whose attractive label conceals a different or inferior reality, including services as well as products.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
广告说是现场教学，付款后却只有录播视频，这不是挂羊头卖狗肉吗？
The ad promised live teaching, but after paying we got only recorded videos—is that not false advertising?
A strong accusation that the label or promise disguises what is really delivered.