nìng​wéi​jī​kǒu​wù​wéi​niú​hòu

better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond

宁为鸡口,勿为牛后 寧為雞口,勿為牛後 nìng​wéi​jī​kǒu​wù​wéi​niú​hòu
better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond
better to be the head of a chicken than the rump of an ox; to prefer being a leader in a small group to being a follower in a large one

Cross-References

Has variant