宁为鸡头，不为凤尾
nìng​wéi​jī​tóu​bù​wéi​fèng​wěi

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

  1. 宁 寧 nìng adverb
    would rather
    would rather; to prefer; would sooner
  2. 为 為 wéi verbpreposition
    to be
    to be; to become; to act as; to serve as; to take as
  3. 鸡头 雞頭 jī​tóu
    chicken head
    the head of a chicken
  4. ， bù
    non-Chinese
  5. 不 bù adverb
    not
    Negative adverb used before verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs to indicate negation; also used as a bound-form prefix to form terms with opposite meanings
  6. 为 為 wéi verbpreposition
    to be
    to be; to become; to act as; to serve as; to take as
  7. 凤 鳳 fèng noun
    phoenix
    A mythical bird in Chinese legends; specifically the male of the species in 凤凰 fèng​huáng
  8. 尾 wěi nounadverb
    end; remainder
    (bound form) end; extremity; conclusion; remaining part