- 归马放牛 guīmǎfàngniú to end a warTo send back the horses and cattle used for military purposes; used as a metaphor for ending a war and ceasing military operations.
- 放牛吃草 fàngniúchīcǎo to let people do as they pleaseto let cattle out to graze; used to describe giving someone freedom or leaving them unsupervised to do as they wish
- 放牛班 fàngniúbān class for underachievers(Taiwan colloquial, derogatory) A class in school for students who are perceived to have low academic performance; literally a "cow-herding class".