The phrase "iron rooster" 铁公鸡 (tiěgōngjī) is used to describe a very stingy person. It can be followed by the chengyu 一毛不拔 (yīmáobùbá), a saying meaning too stingy to pull out even one hair, or simply said on its own.
I guess as an iron chicken can’t be plucked, it symbolises stinginess.
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Every Tuesday on the Anthill, Sam Duncan posts a langauge titbit from his blog. Read them all here
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Tue 14 May 2013 in
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“China is a big country, inhabited by many Chinese.”
– Charles de Gaulle
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A writers' colony of stories about China, founded by Alec Ash. We publish non-fiction sketches, fiction, poetry, translation and photography
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