"Killing the hen to get the eggs" literally means killing a chicken to take out its eggs. It is a metaphor for coveting a small immediate gain while harming a greater long-term interest. This idiom originates from a story in Aesop's Fables: someone kept a hen that laid a golden egg every day. Greedy and insatiable, he wanted to take out all the golden eggs from the hen's belly at once, so he killed the hen, only to find that there was nothing inside. Not only did he fail to get the golden eggs, but he also lost the daily golden egg. In Chinese, this idiom is often used to criticize behavior that is shortsighted and focuses only on the immediate present while neglecting long-term development. It carries a clearly derogatory tone and is often used in fields such as business, economics, the environment, and management, reminding people to weigh the pros and cons and not to lose the greater for the lesser. In terms of cultural background, it reflects the cautionary ideas in traditional Chinese culture of "pursuing the branch while neglecting the root" and "draining the pond to catch the fish," emphasizing sustainable development and long-term vision. Usage scenarios include criticizing excessive resource exploitation, overdrawing the future, and destructive business practices. Emotionally, it expresses regret, sarcasm, or criticism toward shortsighted behavior.
📝 Example
1. Deforestation for short-term profits is simply killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, and will ultimately lead to ecological disaster. (A metaphor for coveting immediate benefits at the expense of long-term interests.)
2. Some companies lower product quality to cut costs, which is no different from killing the goose that lays the golden eggs and will lose consumers' trust. (A metaphor for sacrificing long-term development for small immediate gains.)