People & Bonds
群鷄一鶴
군계일학
qún jī yī hè
Gun-gye-il-hak
群
무리 군
鷄
닭 계
一
한 일
鶴
학 학
Character by character
Meaning
One crane among the chickens — the standout in a crowd.
Origin
From the Book of Jin, where Xi Shao was likened to a crane among fowl.
How it is used
Used when one person’s ability is plainly a level above the rest.
Hanja群鷄一鶴
Simplified群鸡一鹤
Korean reading군계일학
Pinyinqún jī yī hè
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does Gun-gye-il-hak mean?
群鷄一鶴 · One crane among the chickens — the standout in a crowd.
Q. Where does Gun-gye-il-hak come from?
From the Book of Jin, where Xi Shao was likened to a crane among fowl.
Q. How is Gun-gye-il-hak used?
Used when one person’s ability is plainly a level above the rest.
Idioms in the same group
管鮑之交 Gwan-po-ji-gyoThe friendship of Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya — friends who truly know each other.竹馬故友 Juk-ma-go-uAn old friend from bamboo-horse days — someone you grew up with.百年偕老 Baeng-nyeon-hae-roGrowing old together for a hundred years.同苦同樂 Dong-go-dong-nakSharing the hardship and the joy alike.人之常情 In-ji-sang-jeongThe ordinary feeling any human being would have.類類相從 Yu-yu-sang-jongLike follows like — similar people gather together.
The idioms used in Korea mix phrases from the Chinese classics with ones coined in Korea. Where an expression is not used in China, the entry says so.