Jiā n zu ǐ hó u sā i

describes people as ugly and vulgar.

a macaque riding a local ox (mí hóu qí tǔ niú)

is a metaphor for a slow promotion.

mü hó ué r guà n

Monkey bathing: macaque; Crown: Wear a hat. Monkeys wearing clothes and hats are not real people after all. Metaphor is superficial, just like a puppet. It is often used to satirize people who take refuge in evil forces and steal power.

playing tricks on monkeys (nê ng gu ǐ dià o hó u)

is a metaphor for being naughty.

to set an example for the monkey (shā j and jǐ ng hó u)

to show the monkey the chicken. It is a metaphor to warn others by punishing one person.

kill the chicken to scare the monkey (shā jī xià hóu)

kill the chicken to show the monkey. It is a metaphor to warn others by punishing one person.

Yuá n Hó u q ǔ yuè is a metaphor for ignorance. It's also a metaphor for wasting your time